Total Eclipse
by RED78910
Summary: What would you do to survive? Would you fight evil or go along with it? Would you stand against the tide because it's the 'right' thing to do, or would you simply go with it to make your life easier? Follow the story of young mercenary Allen Ryan as he struggles to answere these questions in a galaxy that is at best harsh and unforgiving.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi. I'm not sure if this will work, but here it goes. I'm attempting fan fiction for the first time so please don't judge too harshly with this story. I tried to get this chapter as best I could, but I'm not great at emotions or properly expressing ideas in writting, at least I don't think so. Anyway, this may or may not continue, it depends on how much people like or dislike it. I have a few chapters written, but it has taken me a long time to get those done. My life will soon dictate that I leave for a while in a few months, and I may not have the time to continue this. Stupid to start writing now? Mabye, but I've got time to kill so why not?**

**This story, if it gets that far, will be slightly AU. I won't go completely changing everything, but small details here and there. The rating is M. This is for language, violence, brief drug use, some nudity and adult situation. Yeah, I'm going all out. No smut though. Sorry if that's your thing. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or any other video game, movie, song, TV show, book, or any other form of entertainment I may reference in this fic. This is strictly for my own amusment and yours. Now let's get started!**

**Total Eclipse**

**Omega, 2185**

Chapter One: Hope Lost

The windows began to dim ever so slightly, simulating the start of the "night" cycle on the station. Store venders were just starting to pack up the excess wares from their stands. Unlike the more advanced areas of the station, this area of Omega had no electronic catalogs and as such customers were forced to pay for their items with actual credit chits slid into the registers, similar to the way credit cards were used on Earth in the early 21st century.

All in all, it was just another day. Eclipse mercenaries had smashed in a few heads, killed a man unfortunate enough to get in their way, and taken about half of the revenue the merchants had earned. It was days like this that the man packing the last of some half spoiled fruit into a container wondered why anybody ever came to this station in the first place.

_Oh, that's right. They were lied to with promises of work and opportunity, only to be met with poverty, oppression, disease, and god only knows what else. _

"Hey Art, I'm takin' off!" the young man in the slightly tattered brown shirt and black pants said as he waved to the old mad in the black leather jacket.

"Yeah, see you 'round Allen." replied the tall, rather skinny old man as he swept the floor of the market place.

Allen Ryan was a young man, probably around 20 years old. He was not a weakling by any means, but also not very imposing. He stood at barely 5'9" on a good day, and with a clean shaven face, light brown eyes and matching hair he would not likely ever scare anyone over the age of three. Still, most people in the markets in the back alley of this part of Omega respected him well enough to leave him alone.

He worked directly for Arthur "Art" O'Malley, a retired Human Alliance Marine who had at the age of 78 killed 5 Batarian pirates with his bare hands when they made the mistake of cornering him in an alley not far from the markets that he owned.

Allen walked down the filth ridden street toward the apartment that he and his mother lived at. The light from the star was now about halfway gone, and the real freaks of the station were beginning to surround him. Con artists, hookers, and every type of crazy he could imagine.

He actually had a decent amount of money from the day at work, and he and his mom might actually be able to get off this station soon if his luck held. The way he figured it, if he had another week like the one he was having, then he and his mom could go to the Citadel, find jobs where you didn't give most of your money to drug dealing killers, and maybe actually to start _living._

As he neared his home, he immediately sensed something was off. The light above the door to his home was off. It was never off at night. He hurried his pace to the door. To his horror the electronic door was stuck half open, apparently broken.

"Oh, Shit!" Allen ran right into the building and immediately began to look for his mom.

The vid screen on the wall was gone. All that was left of it were the nails that the screen would have latched on to. The small brown couch that Allen slept on was torn apart, whether by varren or be knives Allen couldn't say. As Allen passed through the kitchen he found what few appliances he had thrown across the floor. Finally entering the bedroom, Allen's heart simply shattered.

"Mom!" Allen screamed as he knelt down by his mother's side.

Tears rained down Allen's face as he observed the horror in front of him. His mother was dead. In her youth she was beautiful, but those days were gone. The bright blond hair she once had was turning grey. Her bright blue eyes were surrounded by bags of caused by a mixture exhaustion, sadness, and fear that had been built up by nearly 20 years of living on Omega.

Allen looked at her. She hadn't gone quietly. Her hands were bruised. Blood, blue blood, was under her fingernails. Cuts covered her arms and face. Whoever killed her had done so with a shotgun. The hole in her chest proved that. Allen could see the small holes that dotted the area around his mother's stomach. Allen knew how long it took for blood to dry. She hadn't been dead long, maybe an hour. She would have just gotten home from work, might have been starting on dinner, when she was first attacked.

Allen just collapsed. Allen cried like he never had before. He didn't know how long he wept, but by the time he was done all he wanted to do was sleep. He couldn't though, not here, not now. Eventually he managed to find the strength to push himself up and stand in front of his only living relative.

"I'm sorry. God damn mom, I'm sorry. I don't think it would have mattered much if I was here, but I SHOULD HAVE BEEN!" Allen wiped away some fresh tears.

"We should never have come here. We should have just stayed on Earth. You could have found a good job, dad might still be here, and maybe you could have had that horse farm you always wanted. I would have liked that." The last bit came out with a small sob.

How much had she given up for him? How many times did she go hungry so Allen didn't have to? How much did they both skimp so that one day he might get off this hell hole? And he had failed her. Failed the one person who kept Allen alive and away from the scum of the station who would have used and killed him. He failed the only thing keeping him going everyday. His mom used to smile when she talked of Earth, talked of animals, of how she grew up on one of the last few rural areas left on Earth. That smile, that flicker of hope, was all he had. And Omega had taken it away from him, just like it had taken everything else from everyone on the station.

Allen looked down at his mother one last time. He didn't have the money for a funeral. He knew whoever killed his mom had taken what money they had, there weren't many places to hide it. Even if he did, he knew his mom would just want him to leave. Get out. Go anywhere that isn't here.

Letting out a single breath, Allen said,"Goodbye mom."

He turned and simply left. He had no bags to carry his clothes. The only money he had was either in his account only accessible from his omni-tool or on the credit chits in his pocket. He only had a few articles of clothing, and he didn't see the point in getting them. He wouldn't need them where he was going.

Stepping out into the street he took one last look at his old home, took a deep breath, and walked off into the night of Omega.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come on Art, open up!" Allen had walked to Arthur's dwelling, a small apartment a few miles from his home.

"What?!" Art shouted as he came out his door. He was dressed in a white shirt and dark grey pants and was smoking a cigarette.

Art was not quick to anger, nor was he really mad, but when annoyed in the middle of the night by some random asshole, well, anybody would be a little pissed.

"Mom's dead." was all that Allen said.

Art only stood there in the doorway for a few seconds, annoyance quickly leaving him. He slowly nodded and gestured for Allen to come in.

As the door shut Art asked, "Can I get you some coffee? Food? Anything?"

Allen just shook his head as he sat on the couch that was just by the door.

"All I want right now Art is a place to sleep. I wouldn't ask, but I just couldn't stay there. Not with her body just laying there."

Allen swallowed hard and said, "I just left her there. I couldn't…couldn't…touch her. I …hope you understand." He couldn't look Art in the eye.

Art took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand. You couldn't do nothin'. God knows I can't stand to be near a corpse."

After a few seconds he typed something on his omni-tool and told Allen, "I've sent some people to get her body. We'll make sure the vorcha don't get her."

Looking Art in the eye Allen smiled, " Thank you."

"No need to thank me. I always liked Jessica. Shame to see this happen to her."

Art sat down next to Ryan and took a long drag from his smoke before putting it out in an ashtray he had on a table next to the couch. "So I assume you need a place to stay for a while?"

Allen shook his head and stated, "Only for the night. Tomorrow it won't matter. I'm joining Eclipse."

"What?" Art was speechless. Those drug runners had taken more money from them then either of them could count, and now Allen was going to join them? This was insane, by any standard.

"Let me explain," Allen got up and paced in from of Art. Eventually he stood still and told his boss and friend, "I'm not going to waste my time in the markets anymore. Don't get me wrong, you've been the closest thing to a friend I've ever had, but I can't do it anymore. I'm not going to see another credit go into the hands of those killers and just let it go. First chance I get, I'm either going to just desert. If I die out there, at least I'll hopefully not die on this station."

Taking another breath Allen continued," I hate them almost as much as I hate that demon bastard Archangel, but Blood Pack only take Krogan or Vorcha, and the Blue Suns are just as bad as Eclipse. I go with them, at least I'll get a chance to see some of the galaxy before I die."

Art looked up at Allen with a mix of awe and confusion. "I don't get it. You were always a good kid. You have to kill a person to get into Eclipse Allen. Ane even if you do get in, then what? Red Sand smuggling and dealing, assassination, what else? They're basically pirates!"

Standing now Art was pleading with Allen now, "What happens when you are attacking a ship and you are gunning down the crew, huh? You may not be the kid I watched grow up anymore, but you definitely aren't a murderer."

Allen looked down at the floor. After a while he looked Art in the eye and said, "I'll never do that Art. I don't care the situation. I don't care how outnumbered I am. I don't care if I die. I WILL NEVER become just another pirate thug. You have my word on that."

Art sighed and sat down on the couch. He was tired. He had seen so much violence in his time. He just wished it could all end.

Art looked at Allen and asked, "I can't stop you, can I?"

"No, you can't. I only want a place to crash for the night. I'll be gone in the morning."

Allen meant it. When he woke, he would head straight for the nearest Eclipse hide out. He knew where it was, everyone did.

Art took a deep breath and accepted that whatever would happen to Allen, it was out of his hands.

"Ok. You can stay here tonight. Believe it or not, I was in your shoes a long time ago on Earth. I joined the marines because I needed a way out. Omega isn't that different from some places on Earth. And Allen? I'm going to hold you to that promise."

Art went into his bedroom and shut off the light.

As Allen watched him go, he thought to himself _Yeah, me too old man_.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Allen walked up to the warehouse with his hands in plain view, a single Eclipse trooper guarding the entrance. The building was three stories tall, and several hundred yards deep. The "day" cycle had just begun, Allen's shadow stretching several feet to his left. As he approached the building the guard aimed his rifle at the approaching man.

"Hey, stop right there! What do you want?"

Allen put his hands up and said, "I heard you were short handed, thought I'd see if I could cut it as a mercenary."

"Wait. You want to join Eclipse? "The guard sounded almost confused by the statement.

_No shit I want to join. What did I just say?_

Allen expelled various other negative thoughts from his head and simply nodded. The Eclipse trooper put his hand to the side of his helmet and radioed his superiors.

"Yeah, he says he wants to sign up…No, I can't do it alone. What if he pulls a gun on me?...Well, yeah that's possible…I don't care!"

Allen Ryan was now a little bit confused, "What was that about?"

The guard only pointed his rifle at the recruit and, "Shut the fuck up! I don't have time for this shit today! Every time I look around, there's either some ass hole attempting to steal our supplies, or some other mercenary group trying to kill us, or any number of other things I have to worry about. So no, I'm not taking any chances with you. No, I'm not sorry, and I don't even care. You came here, so shut up and deal with it."

After the guard finished his rant another Eclipse soldier came out of the building. He walked over to Allen and the other guard, "So this is the big bad new guy. Your right Baker, he could kill us with a flick of his wrist. We should be extra careful with this one."

"Fuck you Church, I'm not going to get shot in the back because I let my guard down. Now search him so we can get this over with."

Church then did a rather hasty, and in Allen's opinion, very poor search of Ryan's body. Just when the man who conducted the search was ready to turn back inside Baker asked if he checked for any biotic amps.

"Don't bother. I'm not a biotic." Ryan told them when he heard the question.

"Do you expect us to take your word for it? Check him. Now!"

_God, this is so fucking stupid. If they weren't such assholes maybe I could deal with this._

"He's clean. Now can I please go back inside?!" Church asked in a very annoyed and angry tone after he searched Allen again.

"Yeah, go. And you," Baker said pointing to Allen, "follow me."

Baker led Allen into the warehouse. The interior was filled to capacity with crates. Ryan knew what was in the crates without even needing to be told: red sand, weapons, and whatever else the Eclipse could make a profit in smuggling. Some areas were well light, and other parts of the building were in total darkness. The two walked in the door and took a left. The containers made an almost hallway on the right combined with a wall on the left of Allen.

Soon they came to a door. As they entered an office, Allen saw a man in the yellow and black armour of Eclipse. His hair was messy and looked like it had not been washed for several days. The man had distinct asian facial features, though his eyes were slightly glowing and his teeth looked rather unhealthy. There was a line of red powder on the desk in front of the man.

_These guys are sampling their own product. No wonder Archangel has such an easy time killing these guys. They're all a bunch of goddamn idiots!_

After snorting the line of powder, the man at the desk looked up and asked what was going on.

Baker replied, "Captain Chow, sir, this is the man I was telling you about. Remember?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Thanks, I'll get it from here."

With that the guard returned to his duties and left. After a few seconds to collect himself, Chow gestured for Allen to sit down in the chairs right in front of his desk.

"So, you want to join Eclipse? Why?"

Allen looked Chow in the eye and said, "I've got nowhere else to go. I'm probably not going to live much longer, and I don't really care. I figure I may as well try to get off this rock."

Ryan was pretty sure this guy didn't hear half of what he said, but it was better to tell a half truth than a lie. Allen didn't really want to join, but he knew he would get nowhere working in the markets for the rest of his life. At least here, he could see the galaxy a bit. The first chance he got, he was probably going to desert, but no sense in telling Chow that.

"So, you ever kill anybody?"

Allen looked him with an unseen anger is his eyes and said, "Not really no, but I really want to right now."

Chow's face lit up and he typed something into his omni-tool. A few minutes later another man with light brown hair, a shaggy beard and a scar running down his left cheek came into the office.

Capt. Chow told the other officer to take Ryan to the markets and get him initiated. The Eclipse member told Allen to follow him and they left the building and headed for the markets.

A/N: Sooo? What do you think?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Just another day on Omega

Ryan and the Eclipse officer emerged from a back alley and into a market near the warehouse. The streets were clogged with people from every race, most of them shopping in the markets or eating in one of the restaurants. It was in one of these eateries that Ryan spotted his target.

Allen looked over at the man who had brought him here and asked, "So all I have to do is kill someone and I'm in? It could be anybody I chose? No restrictions or exceptions?"

The officer responded, "Yeah. Just make it quick. I need to get back soon; we have a MAJOR operation in the works and we need every able bodied man, woman, and asari we can get for it."

With that, he handed Allen his pistol, "You got one round kid. Make it count."

Allen nodded and walked toward his mark. The man he had selected was a small time drug dealer named Simmons. He was fairly skinny, had long dark hair and dark soulless eyes. He was well known around this part of the station. Allen knew that nobody would miss him, Simmons was never really liked by anyone. He had made money off of selling to whoever would buy from him, regardless of age or income. In all likelihood one of his hired thugs would take over his business by the end of the day. The more things changed on Omega, the more they stayed the same.

Ryan's heart quickened as he moved toward his target. Could he really do this? Could he kill another person in cold blood, even if that person was for all intents and purposes evil?

_What choice do I have?_

Allen knew he had no choice. If he couldn't kill this man, this pathetic excuse for a human being, than what hope did he have at being a mercenary? Ryan knew killing would be involved when he decided to do this, but he had never really considered until now what it would be like. He had never even held a gun until now. Never contemplated murder until now. And never before was he as scared as he was now.

The café was small. It was 'outdoor', only had a few tables, and Simmons was the only customer at the moment. Allen walked up behind Simmons. He was in one of the brown overall like outfits that seemed to be the latest fashion trend in the galaxy. Allen took a deep breath, leveled the gun, and pulled the trigger.

As the dealer's brains blew across the table, the entire station seemed to stop for a moment, but just a moment. For Allen Ryan though, it seemed like an eternity. His hands wouldn't stop shaking, his breathing nearly stopped and he felt like vomiting.

_Oh my god, I just did that! _There was no turning back now; he was a killer.

As he finally came to terms with what he had done, hands shaking nervously, he headed back to the Eclipse officer. The man nodded to him, and they headed back to their hideout. The crowd continued on, no one seeing the vorcha drag the body down into the blackness of an alley. Just another day on Omega.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at the warehouse the soldier that had taken Ryan out to the market began to show him around the building. Not only a storehouse for all the supplies the mercenaries smuggled, it also had a mess hall, barracks, gym, firing range, armory, and entertainment center. Allen was lead to the armory where he was issues a new suit of Eclipse armor.

He was shown that there were two layers. The under layer was made of a light yet supposedly durable mesh that was supposed to guard against stray bullets and shrapnel. The over layer was the heavy metal that was the main layer of protection. When Allen put his helmet on he was actually impressed. It had a Heads Up Display, small map, and a read out of his own suit and it's overall condition. The two eye holes didn't allow as much sight as he had hoped, but he assumed that was what the map was for.

As Allen took his helmet off the officer then spoke to him, "Ok Ryan, now that you got that squared away, let's move on to something else."

He pressed a few buttons on his omni-tool, and Ryan's flashed as well. "I've just setup your account. You'll get a small salary as well as pay for missions you are a part of. If there aren't any questions, let's get you to your squad."

The two then headed to the gym. It was a wide open area in the building. There was a track going all around the room. In one corner there was a large collection of weights and various machines. In another there were several mats, punching bags, and a large assortment of martial arts equipment. In this section there was an asari in black sweatpants and a form fitting dark gray T-shirt doing what appeared to be an alien form of tai-chi.

The Eclipse officer then looked to Allen and said, "That's you squad leader. I think you can take it from here." With that, he simply walked away.

Allen wanted to question what the operation was that he was talking about earlier, but decided it would be better to ask his new squad leader any questions. He walked over with his helmet under his left arm and saluted with his right.

"Private Allen Ryan, reporting for duty ma'am." Allen wasn't really sure how to address the asari in front of him, but he assumed that formal was the best course of action.

The asari simply chuckled. She was three or four inches taller than Allen, had red facial markings around her eyes and along her crest, dark blue skin, and had light purple eyes. She appeared to be rather young, probably still in her maiden stage.

"Sergeant Herja Pruor. Two things: First, you don't call NCO's sir or ma'am. Second, don't salute. It's not proper protocol for non commissioned officers to get saluted and it only makes me and anybody else you salute a target."

Allen suddenly felt a little embarrassed. If his had been a combat zone, he could have gotten her killed. Still, she didn't seem mad, so he decided to consider himself lucky.

"So, I'm in your squad now?" Ryan asked his superior.

"Yes. I was told I would get my own squad assigned to me soon. With you I've finally got all my spots filled," the sergeant seemed to say those words with great enthusiasm.

Ryan then thought it would be a good time to get a grasp on the situation with his new unit. "You were down people huh? I hope I'm not taking the place of anybody well liked. Have you been taking many casualties?"

Allen knew they would have had to have been hit hard with Archangel racking up such a high body count, but Herja only formed a strange look on her face from the question.

"No. My squad was only just formed a few days ago when I made sergeant. Why would we have taken losses?" Her voice was filled with a mix of concern, sadness, and perhaps the smallest amount of curiosity.

Allen didn't know what to make of that. Before he could say anything however, alarm bells sounded in the building. Sgt. Pruor immediately brought up her omni-tool and shouted into it, "First squad suit up and meet at front entrance in 5 minutes!"

She then pointed to Ryan, "Get your weapons and ammo, than meet the squad at the door. Move!" Allen immediately put his helmet on and did as he was told and rushed to the armory.

When he arrived there was already a long line ahead of him. Every mercenary in the building was lining up to get their weapons. Soon Herja and several other humans and two Salarians joined him in line.

Herja pointed behind her and said slightly panting, "Ryan, meet the rest of the squad. Squad, meet the newest member of the team." The others all nodded and waved in greeting.

Eventually they all cleared the gun cage and formed up around their sergeant. Most, including Ryan and Herja, were issued Avenger assault rifles. One salarian had a Tempest SMG, one human man had a sniper rifle and another woman had a rocket launcher. They all stood by their squad leader waiting for instructions.

Sgt. Herja Pruor addressed her soldiers. Her eyes were dead serious and her voice made the entire squad think she had survived a hundred battles, "Alright people, I'm going to be honest, I have not been briefed on the situation. You know as much as I do. Whatever happens, remember we are all in this together. No heroics, they'll just get you killed. Stay alert, don't get complacent, and maybe we'll all get out of this. "

The squad all nodded heads in agreement. Ryan took a few deep breaths.

_This is it. Today is the day I die._

Captain Chow came to the squad with slightly glowing eyes and a somewhat wistful expression on his face. He calmly stated, "Sergeant, that bastard Archangel is finally getting what's coming to him. Colonel Jaroth is ordering all available units to assist him."

Herja looked at the captain. Allen noticed she didn't flinch, hisss, curse, or do anything else that most members of Eclipse did when mentioning the name 'Archangel'. Instead she asked in a mix of worry and eagerness, "Will our company be the first ones in?"

Chow laughed and shook his head. "Eager are you? Sorry kid, orders are to leave enough people back to guard what inventory we have. Your squad is the least experienced, so you get stuck with guard duty. Don't worry though. I'm sure that there'll be plenty of people to kill later. Have fun."

Chow turned to the rest of the garrison and shouted, "All right you drug dealing mother fuckin' perverts, let's send some angels to hell!"

Everyone not in Allen's squad shouted loudly and ran out the doors into the sky cars and gunships. Allen breathed a sigh of relief; he wasn't going to die today.

_Good luck out there. Bring back his head in a sack while you're at it. _

Given his impression of his CO, he was half inclined to think he actually would. As it stood though, Allen was now stuck with his squad waiting until the rest of the unit got back.

Allen took off his helmet and looked to Herja with a small smirk on his face, "Sorry sarge, better luck next time. Nice speech though."

Herja returned Ryan's smirk with one of her own, "Really?"

"If it was proper and practical, I would've taken my helmet off and given you a standing ovation."

The sergeant only laughed at that. Turning to the rest of the squad she ordered the sniper and heavy to provide overwatch on the roof while the rest of the squad had two people on each of the four sides, taking Allen with herself to guard the front exit.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It didn't take too long for boredom to set in. Pvt. Allen Ryan and Sgt. Herja Pruor waited outside the main door of the building staring at nothing. Ryan still had his helmet on, but Herja wore nothing on her head as asari wore no head coverings due to their crests.

Allen removed his helmet, set his rifle down by the building he was now leaning against, and asked Herja, "So, what was it like?"

Sgt. Pruor only looked at the young man in front of her with a puzzled look on her face, "What was what like?"

Allen looked at her dead in the eye, "Your first kill to get into the gang. What was it like?"

Herja's face went wide immediately. "What? You had to kill someone just to get into Eclipse?"

"You didn't?" Allen was beyond confused. Everyone on this station knew about the initiation process. Clearly something was very off with her.

"No. I just talked to this other asari who was looking for more recruits for the band. She never said anything about killing people just to get a uniform!"

Ryan just stared at her for a minute or two. Something just wasn't adding up here. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up in Eclipse anyway?"

Herja just shrugged, folded her rifle on her back, and leaned against the building, "I was on my home world, Sanves, working as a waitress. One day this Eclipse commando I'm waiting on asks me if I would like to see the galaxy. Seemed odd to me that she would just ask some random person like that, but when I asked her she said she was on some recruitment drive. She said they needed new people and that it would be easy money.

"I knew nothing is ever as good as they say it is, but I figure why not? I always wanted to be a huntress, but our military doesn't accept anyone who isn't at least 200 years old."

Allen's curiosity got the better of him, "Not to interrupt your soliloquy, but why is that exactly?"

Herja just shrugged again, "By that time, although we are still relatively young, we are less likely to do "stupid hormonal shit and get people killed." At least that is what my mom said was the logic behind it. Anyway, I was bored at home and thought being a mercenary would be fun. My parents thought it was a good idea and my sister asked me to bring her back a souvenir the next time I'm home."

Allen shook his head in amazement. "So, your parents are OK with you risking your life like this?"

With a slightly annoyed and defensive tone Herja replied, "Hey, I may only be 113 but I can handle myself. My mom is a biotics instructor back home and a retired captain in the Serrice Guard. My dad is a krogan bounty hunter who taught me how to kill everything from a varren to a goddess damn thresher maw! I'm not just some kid, got it!"

Allen put his hands up and honestly apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sure that you are perfectly capable of handling yourself. I meant why join Eclipse? You knew about them, right?"

Herja responded, "Not really. Mom had only vaguely heard of them and dad just said that they were 'very hard to kill.' Coming from a krogan, that's a very big compliment. As to what they do, I assumed they were like most mercenary groups young asari maidens join up with. You know, guard duty, bodyguard stuff, maybe _some_ combat but nothing major. Why? What are these people doing here that makes joining them so bad?"

Today was turning into a day of firsts for Allen. The first time he had held a gun, the first time he had killed someone, and now the first time he had met an asari who didn't know about Eclipse.

"I honestly don't know how you and your family doesn't know more about them. Let me tell you about this little "band" you just joined. Most of them are hardened killers. Hell, you usually have to commit a murder just to get in the door. They aren't mercenaries so much as an organized crime syndicate. They smuggle tainted element zero, red sand and all sorts of other stuff. Selling drugs, weapons, assassination, you name it they do it.

"They are still better for personal protection than say the Blue Suns, but you still better have deep pockets is you are going to hire them out. What's more, when they're not dealing drugs or smuggling they moonlight as pirates. I can't tell you how many stories I've heard the members of this group talk about some haul they stole from a freighter in the Terminus Systems. Other than all that," Ryan just shrugged, "not really much to not like."

Herja was quiet for a long while. Soon her eyes narrowed and her voice became very serious. "If they really do all those things you said, then why are you here?"

Allen told her about what happened in his house last night. He wasn't planning to stick around and play pirate, he would get out of his uniform and find the quickest ship to Citadel Space and try his luck there; he had no other way out. Transports to the Citadel were very expensive to get a ride on. It took most of what he and his mom made just to pay Eclipse off, let alone pay for decent food. Which as Allen could tell you was very expensive on Omega.

"I don't really want to be here. First chance I get I'm gone. At least that was the plan. Weather or not I go through with it or not is the real question." He looked her in the eyes with an honest, soft and caring look, "You should get out when you can too. Most people around here don't last too long with Archangel using the local gangs as target practice."

It was Herja's turn to ask the questions, "Just who is this Archangel guy anyway? Why is he such a problem?"

Allen had to stop himself from laughing at the statement. He then explained the vigilante's history to her. 2 years ago, just a few months after the destruction of the starship _Normandy, _Archangel had arrived. At first he was just some turian who liked to kill other killers. Then he started targeting mercenaries. Wasn't long before he had stacked up a very high body count and he had an entire squad of his own with him. The people called him "Archangel."

"Of course, not all of us find that particular name fitting." Allen let out a long and anger filled sigh and continued on. As more and more gang members died, their friends became more and more angry. Before Archangel arrived on the station, things were as good as they could have been. The gangs left people alone as long as they paid the protection money at the end of the week; they kept order in the streets, and sometimes were even friendly to the locals. Archangel changed all that.

Fewer mercenaries meant fewer people to keep the truly bad people in line, and the unorganized crime rate skyrocketed. The survivors of the encounters with Archangel always wanted an outlet for their rage, and found one in the people. Allen had seen dozens of people gunned down in the streets, beaten, and otherwise harmed by Eclipse members in the markets. Things were just as bad anywhere else any of the other gangs had control. Archangel may have had a lot of supporters, but the mercenaries weren't the only people on Omega who wanted him dead.

Herja just gazed at Allen, "Now I don't get it. If Eclipse is so bad, then why don't you hate them? Fight and kill them, don't join them!"

Shaking his head Ryan continued, "It's not that simple sergeant. Eclipse was founded over a century ago. It will be here long after I'm dead, even if I somehow manage to die of old age. Archangel isn't changing anything; he's just making life worse for the rest of us. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, back in the markets I worked at until just now wants him dead just as much as the mercenaries do."

Herja looked off into the distance, "Do you think they'll succeed? If he's half as good as you say he is, than he could get away or maybe even fight all of them off."

"I don't know. Honestly I…"

They were cut off by an emergency message, "This is Captain Delaney, all units head to coordinates 4470-832. We have heavy casualties. Repeat heavy casualties."

The two both re-armed themselves. Sergeant Pruor ordered the squad to load up and head for the roof. The other soldiers had left a single gunship at the building for her squad. They all entered the transport, the squad's salarian tech uploading the location to the VI in charge of driving the gunship, and headed off to help their fallen comrades.

A/N: If the idea that what happens out in the Terminus Systems not being common knowledge puts some readers off, I understand. But before you stop reading consider this: How many people actually keep up with the news on a regular baisis? People, at least where I live, are very ignorant of the world around them. We never really got an idea of how much the average person really knows about the galaxy. Hell, we had conversations in ME2 between people talking casualy about Joining both Eclipse and Blue Suns. If people really knew about them, I doubt many would willingly join.

I will try to update once a week if I can if I continue this story. I'm thinking Thursday, but I'm not sure yet. To anybody reading this, I hope you have enjoyed it and have a great weekend!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter has a bit of content that may be considered graphic. Reader discretion is advised. (I have always wanted to do that! haha)

Chapter Three: Realizations.

Having been on Omega as long as he could remember, Allen Ryan thought he had seen the worst it had to offer. He was sadly mistaken. When the transport his squad had taken touched down in the designated landing zone, Allen saw just how destructive Archangel could be.

A makeshift field hospital had been established in an open part of the streets near where the assault had taken place. Dead littered the ground and the floor around the triage centers was a mix of green, red, and blue blood. Cries could be heard from all around. There must have been over 100 dead, with the number of wounded twice that. All of this was just that Allen could see.

As soon as the squad had all left the ship, an officer with a bloody hole in his right shoulder started to scream at them, "You! Don't just stand there! Get your asses in gear and follow me!"

The soldier had a shaved head, a thin beard and piercing green eyes. His voice matched that of the call ordering all troops to help with the wounded. Allen quickly realized this was Captain Delaney. Ryan liked his take charge attitude instantly.

The captain quickly directed the squad to help the injured Eclipse troops. Allen was told to help two nearby salarian surgeons working on an injured asari.

Immediately one of the doctors yelled at Allen, "Don't just stand there, hold her down!"

Ryan rushed over to the operating table. The asari was bleeding profusely, and her intestines were nearly falling out. She was struggling, but Ryan managed to hold her down long enough for the doctors to give her a strong sedative. With their patient no longer thrashing about, the surgeons attempted to help her.

"Soldier, get more synthetic blood, should be in box mark with siari life sign. Go now." one of the doctors said in a hurried and almost uncaring tone.

Allen didn't know what said sign was, but he saw a few boxes several yards away near another cluster of operating tables that other troops were taking large cylinders of blue colored liquid. Quickly running over to the boxes, Allen grabbed several and ran back to the salarians.

"Good. Set up container into IV machine. Should be easy." The other doctor ordered.

Allen looked at one of the containers. An arrow pointed to one end whit had what appeared to be a hole. Looking in a machine that was on a pole next to the bed, Allen saw a tube that he assumed was meant to be inserted into the vial. Allen slid the cylinder into the machine, and blue liquid went into tubes and into the blue soldier. Ryan later gathered other supplies for the doctors, such as more bandages, power cells for the machines, surgical tools they didn't have for whatever reason; whatever they needed.

Soon the soldier was stable and was moved by Allen and another soldier to an area that those that had been saved could be sent to a safe area to properly recover. Those that could not be helped were covered and put into a line on the other end of the makeshift camp. Allen looked at the long line of dead bodies. He knew most probably deserved what they got, but then again, was he any different?

He had killed a man in cold blood. The person may have deserved to die, but did that instantly make it OK? Even if it did, he was now working for people that had done horrible things to many people he knew. Allen told himself he wasn't like them, but wasn't he wearing the same uniform as them? Didn't that mean that he was now on their side?

Allen's mind couldn't process so many bodies, so much death. All he could do was focus on helping the injured. Allen didn't know these people, and so he decided that he didn't have the right to just judge all of them in an instant. Maybe they were just like him, joining Eclipse because they had nowhere else to go. Maybe they were like Herja, joining because they thought it might be fun and they didn't know what they were getting themselves into.

The reasons didn't matter anymore. He was here, surrounded by people that he now had a responsibility to help, and Allen was never a man to step away from his responsibilities.

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The salarian wouldn't stop screaming, "My leg! My leg!."

The poor man had had his leg taken off from the knee down and had barely managed to not pass out from blood loss. Her mother had told her what it was like seeing a wounded man yell, but Herja quickly found out it was far more terrifying and sickening to see one in person.

"Shut him up! I need to work!" the human doctor screamed to her.

Thinking quickly, Herja punched the salarian, and he fell onto the bed unconscious. The human surgeon quickly repaired the damaged leg as best he could. The poor soldier would need a robotic leg, which was not going to be an easy adjustment.

As the last of the wounded were being processed, Herja stepped away from the table and took a few breaths to herself. Never before had she been so exhausted. Over the past 5 hours she had been helping the doctors the best she could. She had retrieved supplies, helped calm patients down. In some cases, such as with the unfortunate amphibian, she had to restrain or incapacitate them to allow them to be helped.

She had seen many people die today, several of whom were of her own kind. Her armor was a filthy mix of the colors of blood from every race Eclipse had working for it. Her eyes were heavy and she was barely able to stand on her feet. She felt her stomach torn in two separate directions: one the one hand she had not eaten at all that day and she very much would have liked some nourishment. On the other hand, she had seen people nearly cut in half, more organs than she could remember, and enough blood to last her a lifetime. If she had eaten anything, Herja was fairly certain she would have thrown it back up.

It was a mistake coming here. She didn't know how she could have been so stupid, becoming a mercenary on a whim! She thanked the goddess she was not part of the assault, or she would have certainly have been killed. She had no experience in combat and had been on the station less than a week. The only reason she was even a sergeant was that Chow had seen her shoot better than the rest of the other recruits that had arrived with her.

_What if I died here today?_

The thought of never seeing her family again scared her more than death. Her little sister, Rota, was just 45, barely 15 by human standards. If she didn't return home, than she knew her sister would be devastated. Rota always looked up to Herja, and always said that she wanted to be just like her sister.

What would her mother think if she knew what type of group she had joined? Being a soldier of fortune was fine in asari culture, and most mercenary groups did good and legal work. But red sand dealers? Gun runners? Cold blooded killers who didn't care about who lived or died as long as they made money? Her mother would never forgive her if she knew what kind of group Herja had joined.

And her father! Damn him for letting her get into this! He knew, had to have known, what kinds of people were in Eclipse! If she ever got home she would… what would she do? She had never asked what Eclipse really was. That was her fault and she had to admit that. The fact that they sold drugs and smuggled whatever turned a profit wouldn't mean anymore to a krogan than a human would care about what songs were playing on the radio; it may interest them but they don't really care.

Besides, if she went home now, what would her dad say. He was so proud of his little girl when she decided to go and become a warrior. He made her promise that she would take a trophy from her first kill and send it back to him, preferably a head so that he could mount of the wall above the door. That way all could see what a great fighter his daughter was.

Herja loved her family; they meant everything to her. Staying where she was may cause her to lose her life, but going home would mean explaining why. She knew her father would only be disappointed in her if she couldn't cut it as a warrior. Krogan valued strength and honor and bravery above all else. She could try to join another mercenary band, but assuming Eclipse would even let her go, which Herja was sure it wouldn't, she would have to explain why.

She was sure her father wouldn't care, but her mother and sister would. When they found out what the group she joined was really like, she knew she would lose them forever. It didn't matter she didn't know at the time, the fact that she would have been with them at all, Herja knew, would destroy her mother and sister's image of her.

She was in a bad situation with no way out. She could only hope an opportunity to get out of this mess presented itself soon; she was sure she wouldn't last long in this place.

Soon she collected herself, and went back to see if she could help the doctors with any more patients.

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Allen saw Herja and walked over to her. The last of the wounded were being loaded on to shuttles and taken to a local hospital and most of the medical staff had left as well. The last man being treated was Capt. Delaney. His shirt was off, revealing an Alliance tattoo, the symbol of the Alliance itself, on his back. Pvt. Ryan and Sgt. Pruor sat laid down against a wall several yards behind from where the captain was being treated by an asari doctor.

Allen took off his helmet and looked at Herja, "Have you heard about our unit?"

She just looked at the captain and the doctor with a blank expression on her face, "They're all dead. We're the only ones left alive from the warehouse."

Allen shook his head in disbelief, "Shit."

Allen didn't really know any of them, but it was still hard to believe. There had been dozens of troops at the warehouse just hours before, now they were all dead. Just then a shuttle came down and landed just as the last of the other Eclipse troops were outbound. A single salarian in a shiny new uniform stepped out.

"Captain, I'd like a report on just what happened here today."

Delaney barked at the officer, "What do think happened Sayn? We got fucking slaughtered! I thought that we had all of Archangel's squad at the building, but seems our intel was off. These three mercenaries posed as freelancers and attacked our people as soon as they went over the wall. They killed all the idiots we hired to do the job, then dug in with their boss.

"Didn't take them long to destroy all the light mechs, so we sent in the heavy. But get this, not only is the thing shooting at them, it also decided to target us! We lost more men to that thing than we lost to Archangel. When that thing finally got blown up Jaroth led what was left of the main force. Fucker got his head shot off by Archangel himself. While the Blood Pack and Blue Suns tried to flank them I took my men to get as many of the wounded out as I could, but I lost a full platoon myself."

Sayn put his hand to his chin and considered this a moment. He then asked about how the other groups fared against their target.

"All the Blood Pack are dead along with most of the Suns. Even more good news: I saw the three freelancers who reinforced Archangel leave the building with a turian body. Can't say for sure if Archangel is even alive or dead."

Sayn shook his head, "Troubling. Very troubling. At least the operation was a success; Archangel has been eliminated as a threat."

No sooner did Sayn close his mouth than did Delaney nearly explode, "Did you not listen to a goddamned thing I just said?! Archangel could still be alive, and I know for a fact some if his men survived. Even if they disappear, do know how many men we lost? It'll take months before we're back at full strength you stupid toad!"

If the salarian was bothered at all by the captain's outburst, he didn't show it.

"All that matters is the end result. Archangel is not here at the moment. Sederis will be pleased by this. Have a good day captain."

With that, Sayn walked back to his transport and left.

Allen looked over to Herja and asked, "So, is this what you thought it would be like?"

"No. We could have died today Ryan, and for what? So some two bit red sand dealers didn't have to look over their shoulders anymore? If my family knew what I was doing, they would disown me. How the hell am I supposed to go back home to them after this?"

Looking at her feet Herja whispered, mostly to herself, "I should never have come here."

Glancing at Allen she inquired, "You?"

Taking in a breath then letting it out again Allen answered, "I didn't have any real expectations earlier. I just wanted a way off this station. Now that Archangel's dead my chances of survival here just went up by a very large percentage. That said, I don't have any real hope. I'm probably going to die soon. I wish that wasn't the case, but it's how I feel."

With a sad look on her face Herja asked, "You don't think you'll live too long?"

Shaking his head Allen told her, "No. I honestly don't care much anymore. And if that salarian Sayn are any indication of the people we have running this army, than our so called 'leaders' probably don't care much either."

A/N: Thank you to my few followers, you know who you are, for reading so far. I know it was short, but I promise to have another chapter up in the next few days. Please, if you have anything to say, review! I would love to hear what you really think about the story so far.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: A special thank you goes out to HugoCogs for being the first person to review this story. Hugo, if you are reading this, you are awsome! If you have not read Hugo's story "Once More Unto The Breach," you really should. You can find it in my favorites section in my profile page. It is far better than anything I have writen.

This chapter contains the first attempt I have made at depicting a battle. Sorry it took so long, it's just how it came out in the story. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter Four: Contact

**Eclipse Warehouse. 1 Week Later.**

_Thwak!_

A firm blue fist smacked right into Allen's cheek, causing him to stumble backwards. Another hit him square in the stomach and before he could recover, he was in a headlock. His squad leader squeezed harder and harder before he had to tap on her leg to signal he had enough.

They were in the gym area of the building on the matts that Herja practiced her martial arts on every morning. Allen was dressed in his suit's light yellow under armor and Herja wore her typical black sweat pants and dark grey shirt. This had become a common occurrence over the past week. Ryan wanted to learn how to fight in close quarters and none of the other squad showed any interest in sparing with Herja, so the two spent a lot of their free time sparing, shooting, or doing something else involving violence to pass the time.

After allowing Allen to catch his breath Herja asked, "Are you ok to continue?"

Taking a few deep breaths Ryan responded, "Lets go."

The two took their usual fighting stances. Allen put his fists up the way most humans associated with boxers in the early 21st century while Herja's stance was clearly derived from whatever asari martial art she had learned. After a few seconds of waiting, Herja attacked.

She punched to Allen's left, but was easily blocked. Ryan attempted to counter with a kick but instead Herja stepped into Ryan's space, headbutted him square in the face, took him to the ground, and again put him in a choke hold. Tasting blood in his mouth and running out of breath, Allen soon conceded defeat again.

As soon as he was released, Ryan immediately went for his towel, which already had a few blood stains on it. Once the bleeding had stopped, he took a long drink of water from his canteen.

Sgt. Pruor came up behind him, "You're getting better. It actually took me a few seconds to take you down that time."

Smiling Allen said, "Yeah. That's probably all I could ever hope for against you."

Looking at her with a small smirk on his face he joked, "Your father teach you to do that?"

Chuckling she responded, "Actually, he did. I think he would be disappointed if he was here now though; I didn't break your nose!"

"Well then, thanks for going easy on me." With that Ryan finished the last of his water.

Taking a drink from her own water bottle Herja asked, "What have you heard about the plague?"

Setting the bottle down Ryan stated, "Last of the victims are being treated by the local clinics, and no more cases have been reported."

Nodding Herja commented, "Good. One less thing to worry about around here. What have you heard about the Blue Suns?"

Shaking his head slightly Ryan reported, "Not good. Blood Pack is running right through them. They lost most of their territory in

the affected districts, and it doesn't look like they'll get it back anytime soon."

An announcement came in over the loudspeaker, "All squad leaders, report to briefing room. All other soldiers suit up and await further orders."

"Fuck," they both said simultaneously. Nodding to each other they both left to go to their destinations.

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Sgt. Herja Pruor entered a small room with the other squad leaders and saw their platoon leader, a salarian Lieutenant named Vorleon. After the losses that the gangs had suffered, they had been given enough reinforcements to hold the warehouse, but they were still under strength. Normally an entire company would be stationed at the building, but Eclipse simply didn't have the manpower right now.

In a high voice that sounded like it came from a 12 year old boy hitting puberty, Lt. Vorleon briefed his NCO's, "All right people, here's the situation: We're going into combat. A large Blood Pack force has been spotted coming directly this way. They'll be here in less than an hour. Now, we don't have proper defenses here, so we have to fight them off before they get here."

Turning behind him he pushed a few buttons on the interactive map on the wall, "There are two roads that they have the option of using. One is wide open and will likely have their main force. Given the large mass Krogan have, they fight in large and open areas whenever possible. Therefore, they will send most if not all of their troops this way. The other pathway is about half the size of the primary one, but it is still large enough to send enough troops through to overrun this base. Both roads must be defended at all costs."

The salarian pointed to a place on the smaller path, "Sgt. Pruor, you and your squad will hold at the intersection here, designated as defensive point Lima."

Pointing to another location near the first he said, "I will take the rest of our platoon and hold the enemy off at this spot here, designated as defense point Alpha."

Herja examined the map and saw why he placed her squad where she did. Most roads were separated by a literal wall of buildings, but these two roads were connected by a small alley. Even if Herja and her men held the line at the intersection if a single Blood Pack soldier got passed them, then the rest of the platoon would be outflanked.

Raising her hand Herja spoke up, "Sir, why don't we set up closer to the base? Wouldn't it be easier to defend at another spot, or at least one that it would be harder for them to flank us?"

The lieutenant responded, "Unfortunately sergeant, these locations are the best spots to dig in at. They allow us to reinforce each other if needed and provide the best fields of fire. Both intersections are fairly wide according to the map, and there are several buildings that can provide cover for us. It's not perfect, but it's the best I could find. Alright troops, you've been briefed. Dismissed."

Herja took a few deep breaths. What would happen? Would she freeze up under fire? Would she die? Would she get everyone else killed? She didn't have the answers to those questions yet, but she was about to find out.

_This is it. Real combat. Goddess, please watch over us. _

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The platoon had run the last mile and a half in full armor, plus weapons and the extra ammo that sgt. Pruor had insisted on taking, and Allen felt like he was about to die. Hit lungs and throat were on fire, his tongue was a desert, and his arms felt like they were about to come off at the joints due to the weight of his rifle. On top of all that, he was about to go up against the most feared and deadly gang in the Terminus Systems.

_Maybe I'll get lucky and get hit by a rocket. At least that would be quick. _

The 40 soldiers came to a small alley. Lt. Vorleon told Herja, "Sergeant, if they get past you, we will be outflanked. You must hold the line at all costs, do you hear me? Hold the line!"

With that, he took the rest of the unit and headed further down the road.

Herja ordered, "Keep moving, just a few hundred more yards!"

After a few minutes, they came to a three way intersection. It looked like a capital T. The squad was moving towards a wall of buildings. On the left there was a four story building with a landing pad on the roof. The road was at least 20 or 30 feet wide and had several parked or abandoned sky cars that could serve as cover to any advancing Blood Pack unit.

On the right there was a small diner. It looked like something out of an old time painting. There was a counter that had stools all the way around it and booths all the way around the edge of the interior. The back of the eatery was the kitchen and freezer. There were only windows on the side facing the road the blood pack would be coming from, and the only visible door was on Allen's right.

Herja pointed at the door and yelled, "Squad, secure that building!"

Although they were all fairly green, the squad had been drilling in small unit tactics. They stacked up at the entrance, Allen at the lead, and rushed in.

"Clear!" one soldier screamed.

As all the members of the squad entered the room Herja pointed to a row of booths by the window and said, "Squad, defensive positions along those booths. They'll be coming from down that road."

Allen took cover at the designated point and asked, "When do we shoot sarge? When we first see them or when they're in range?"

Unsure of how to proceed she asked the men, "What do you all think?"

Before Allen could respond the human with the sniper rifle said in a rather cocky voice, "Turn us loose sarge, we're the best killers in the galaxy!"

Shouting at the top of his lungs Allen roared back, "Lee, can't you take this shit seriously for _once_ in your life!"

The marksman shouted back, "Fuck you Ryan, I'm just trying to lighten the mood!"

Attempting to stop them from giving away their position Herja screamed, "Both of you shut the fuck up! Lee, I want only headshots from you today if you think you are that much of a bad ass. Allen, we shoot on sight and don't think twice about putting an extra few rounds in a krogan just to make sure he's dead."

Nodding, both of the men looked forward and waited for the enemy to come. Minutes passed. No movement. No nothing. If there was one thing Allen hated, it was waiting.

_Come on. Come on you bastards, lets go!_

BOOM! A bang louder than any noise any of the squad had heard before rang out. On the far left where there had been a salarian tech support gunner there was nothing but blood and the remnants of his armor.

Looking up at the four story building across from their position Allen yelled, "Contact! On the roof!"

With that all surviving members of the squad immediately opened fire. Lee, the squad's sniper, fired round after round at the heads of the three Vorcha soldiers across the street.

_Bang! Bang! Bang! _

One head after another exploded as the bodies fell to the floor. The heavy trooper that had killed one of the squad's techs was the last one die. It was over in seconds.

Lee looked over at the rest and made no attempt to hide his satisfaction, "Told you I'm a killer sarge."

Scowling at him she noted, "Doesn't change the fact we still lost a man."

Lee looked at the floor for a little while before turning his attention back to the street.

Allen looked into the scope of his Avenger rifle and saw more Blood Pack forces, "Hostiles inbound!"

In seconds the enemy was in range. The squad opened fire with everything they had. Most of the vorcha only stopped long enough to fire a few round before advancing. But there were dozens of Vorcha, and several Krogan among them. The fire was growing more and more intense and accurate with each shot fired.

Allen acquired a target and fired. One round did nothing but slow vorcha down, so he had to use several rounds on each one. He saw one stick it's head out towards him in a sort of taunt. He aimed right for it's eyes and squeezed the trigger. The rounds went right where Ryan had wanted them. The dead enemy fell and Allen did the same to another.

Rounds whizzed by his helmet, but he kept firing. He saw a vorcha with a flamethrower and saw an opportunity. Allen waited, and when there was a krogan and two other vorcha nearby, he fired at the pyro. The tanks exploded killing all three of the vorcha and distracting the krogan.

Seeing this, Herja ordered the soldier with the rocket launcher just as she was reloading, "Kerns, take out that krogan!"

Bringing the weapon to her shoulders she asked, "Which one?"

Not believing the question, the sergeant pointed out the selected target and yelled, "The one that's fucking tap-dancing!"

Seeing the krogan that was attempting desperately to put the fires on himself out, Kerns now understood her orders. One the target was locked she fired. The body exploded with nothing remaining but charred remains.

Slamming another clip into his rifle, Allen took aim and continued to fire at the attackers. They were much closer now, maybe 10 yards away. It didn't matter how many were killed, they just kept coming. Suddenly the man to Allen's right was hit several times in his chest. He jerked back and immediately put his hands over his wounds.

Allen immediately came to his aid, "Medic! Medic!"

Mobutu, the squad medic, soon answered the call.

"Help put pressure on the wound. We need to stop the bleeding so we can put-"

The doctor didn't have time to finish that sentence. They had reached the restaurant.

Vorcha soldiers jumped over the wall, a krogan leading them screaming, "Blood Pack, attack!"

The krogan took his shotgun, pointed it at a rifleman, and fired. His head simply evaporated and his body fell to the floor.

Allen looked to Mobutu and ordered, "Get him out of here!"

With that, Allen fired a full clip into the attacking reptile, but it only drew his attention. Growling, the krogan, who was only a few feet away, pointed his shotgun right at Ryan's chest. Knowing what would happen, Allen ducked just as the weapon fired. He closed the distance between them and promptly slammed his rifle into the face of the attacker. His head jerked to the side slightly to the side, but it quickly returned to it's original spot. Chuckling, the Blood Pack member only spat out a small amount of blood and a few teeth.

"My turn." He then grabbed Allen by the neck and threw him into the back section of the diner. In a fit of blood rage, the krogan slammed _through _the counter, grabbed Ryan again and forced him against the wall.

Allen looked at his squad. Kerns was struggling with a vorcha who was attempting to take her rocket launcher from her. Lee was using his sniper rifle as a club to fend off multiple attackers. Mobutu and the only other surviving rifleman were firing every round they could into a charging krogan. The only remaining salarian was dead on the floor, his right arm had been ripped off. Herja was nowhere to be found.

The krogan brought up his shotgun, "Any last words?"

But as he was about to fire the weapon, his hand exploded in a ball of blue energy. Looking to his right, Allen saw Herja. Her uniform was awash in blood, all of it red. She biotically charged the krogan, who stumbled back several feet into the freezer of the restaurant. She then brought up her rifle and fired every round her clip had into his head.

When his lifeless, and now nearly headless, body hit the floor, Herja turned around. Allen nodded to her, and she did the same. Ryan looked at the remains of the squad and was relieved that they were still alive.

Lee and Kerns had killed the vorcha attacking them. Their bodies were laying on the floor, with their heads smashed in like pumpkins. Mobutu and the other soldier had killed the charging krogan before it had reached them and were looking out for other attackers. Allen looked out into the distance and saw that the roads were clear, for now at least.

He and Herja walked through the hole in the counter. Herja walked up to him and said in a small and defeated voice, "I couldn't save him. I didn't have any medi-gel, and...and..."

She shook her head. Her hands were shaking, and all the color had gone from her face. Allen put his hand on her shoulder, but she just shrugged it off.

She looked to her men and said in a determined and angry voice, "Squad, ammo check."

The men all checked their weapons, as did Herja. She had a single clip remaining.

"Ryan, 2 clips."

"Kerns, 1 missile left."

"Lee, 12 rounds."

"Mobutu, less than one full clip."

"McCord, 3 rounds left."

Herja shook her head, _We won't be able to hold them again._

She brought her hand up to her ear and said into her communicator, "Lt. this is sgt. Pruor. Sir, we have taken heavy casualties. Requesting immediate support."

The entire squad heard the response in their helmet's communicator's, "Sergeant, we are also currently engaged. We will send support if and when we can. Hold the line. Vorleon out."

After a few seconds McCord asked in a timid and scared voice, "Sarge, did the lieutenant just tell us to go fuck ourselves?"

Sighing Herja replied, "Pretty much corporal. Alright, I want you to scavenge what you can. Make every round count, got it people?"

The squad immediately retrieved all the ammo they could, which wasn't much. The salarian who had been killed by a rocket took all of his ammo with him, and the other had already used most of his before he died. Vorcha didn't wear much in the way of clothes, so there weren't many places to store extra ammo. The krogan had a few clips on them, but not enough to hold out for long.

Allen knew he was dead, they just weren't going to make it. He and the remains of his squad took up defensive positions and waited for the inevitable attack.

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Herja looked at her squad. They had fought well. _If only more of them had made it. Dad, I wish you could have seen me here today. _

If she could make one wish, it was that her family would know what had happened here today. That they would know that she fought hard, that she didn't quit, that she was a _warrior. _She knew her dad would be proud of her is he had seen her today.

_If only I could send him back that trophy. _

It didn't matter now, none of it did. The only thing left to do was face their fate. They had taken cover in back of the window, ready for whatever came at them. Herja walked up behind them.

Allen looked at her and asked in a very scared tone, "Is this when you give us a speech? Because I could sure use one."

She just shook her head.

"No, but I will tell you all to keep fighting, no matter what. I don't know what lies beyond this life, but I intend to take at least 100 of these bastards there with me. Stay strong, and maybe some goddess damned miracle will happen."

_Yeah right. _Still, she had to say something. She just wished it was the truth.

Herja looked out into the streets and saw figures ahead. She took cover beside Ryan. She looked at him and ordered, "If you survive and I don't, tell my family what happened here. You tell them how I fought. Tell them-"

Grabbing her shoulder Allen said, "You can tell when yourself when we get out of this Herja. You're not gonna die today. You hear me!"

She only nodded in response. "Get ready!"

They waited until the Blood Pack was about 30 yards away and opened up. The entire first wave droppen, but the next rank continued on. The first krogan she saw, Kerns targeted. She fired, and the reptile exploded into a mist of metal and blood.

"

I'm out of rockets!" Kerns yelled, throwing her weapon away.

Herja shouted back, "Then start throwing rocks! I don't care what you have to do, don't stop fighting."

They were close now, less than 10 yards away, and Herja herself was out of ammunition. The rest of the squad was either only taking headshots or loading the last of their clips into their rifles.

_Goddess watch over us as we make our way into your embrace. _

Just as the Blood Pack were about to overrun their position, the squad felt the round begin to shake.

"

Target acquired" No sooner had the squa hard these words than they saw the tracer fire rip into the advancing enemies. The entire first wave was destroyed. Body after body fell to the ground. Some were literally cut in half. Rockets targeted the krogan.

Soon more and more lines of tracers could be to the right, the squad saw the most joyous thing they had ever seen: three heavy mechs supported by at least two dozen smaller ones. Infantry of all types advanced behind the machines.

Soon the Blood Pack were either dead or in full retreat.A man in a Captain's uniform split off from the group. With a smile on his face the man walked up to the squad and said, "Heard you guys needed help."

With a more somber look took his face he added, "I'm sorry we got here a bit late."

Herja said in a relieved voice, "Captain Delaney, sir, you just saved our asses. No need to be sorry. Thank you."

The officer nodded. "I'll have transports arranged for you all. You'll have hot food ready waiting for you back at base."

The captain then walked to his company and shouted, "Victor Company, move out!" They advanced towards where the enemy had come from.

Most of the squad took a seat in one of the booths, but Herja just went into the freezer in the back. She stepped over the body of the krogan she killed, went into the very back of the building, and wept.

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The squad saw her leave. They then heard cries coming from where Herja went. No one was sure what to do. Eventually Allen stood, "I'll go," was all he said.

Leaving his rifle on the table, he went to find his friend. He found her sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. Her legs were brought up against her chest with her arms resting on them.

Allen took off his helmet and sat down next to her. He knew no words could help her, so he simply put his arm over her shoulder and held her close.

"I failed Allen. I failed, and four good men died because of me!"

Ryan asked in a soft and kind voice, "How?"

Screaming she stated,"Because I was in charge! I should have seen them on the roof! I could have saved Rogers if I had some medi-gel, but I didn't!"

Looking her in the eye Allen reasoned, "And the other two? Herja, this is combat. You had to have known people would die."

Exhaling she replied, "Yes, I did. But I still could have done something." She silently started to cry again.

When she had calmed down some Allen softly said, "Herja, the only deaths you are responsible for are the ones you killed today, and I assure you that you don't need to feel guilty about them. There aren't four men dead because of you, there are five soldiers _alive _because of you."

"You saved my life today by killing that krogan over there," Allen said pointing to the corpse in the room, "And if not for your combat skills, I have no doubt that he would have killed the rest of the squad."

Shaking her head, Herja scolded, "I didn't give many good orders-"

"That doesn't matter. A lesser person would have either lost control and fled or died. You stood with us every step of the way, and I guarantee you all of us will remember that."

Standing, Allen held out his hand, "Come on, I'll need help."

Standing Herja inquired, "With what?"

Pointing once again to the dead krogan with a smile on his face Allen answered,"Carrying your new trophy to the transport."

In a choked half laugh, half sob, Herja replied, "How about we just take the helmet instead? I think my dad would like that better."

Happy to see that she was in at least somewhat better spirits, Ryan smiled and said, "Sure thing sarge."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: In honor of Memorial Day 2013, I am posting a chapter earlier in the week than I usually do. To all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, we will always remember you and strive to be the best people we can be with the freedoms you have paid for. Thank you.

Chapter Five: The _Ter Alan_

**Three Days Later. Eclipse Cruiser **_**Norton**_**, Somewhere in the Terminus Systems.**

After the Blood Pack offensive was driven off, Allen and his unit were rotated off the station. Instead of recruiting new soldiers, selling drugs, and extorting local businesses on Omega they were now going on missions all over the galaxy. Allen had finally gotten his wish: he was off of Omega for the first time in as long as he could remember. The cruiser _Norton _was an old Alliance warship Eclipse had purchased and had everything that the warehouse on Omega had and then some.

The ship had a briefing room large enough to hold 500 troops at a time. The room was an auditorium that had a large holographic projector that could show any image the presenter wished. There was a small shuttle bay that had several shuttles for deploying troops and mechs to the battlefield. Everyone on board had their own room, complete with a terminal that could link into the galactic com-buoy network. This not only gave them access to the extranet, it also allowed them to contact anyone the crew onboard wished.

In addition to the infantry platoon, there were also several cooks, two janitors, three surgeons, and three pilots onboard the ship. Though they were technically members of Eclipse, they did not go into combat and as such were only seen on the ship except in extreme situations requiring every able bodied soldier to fight.

Allen had no family remaining that he knew of, so he had not yet made full use of his quarters. Herja had sent a brief message to her parents and had yet to hear back from them. She told her family that things were well and that they could expect a _big _package in the mail soon. It was hard on Herja to allow her family to think she was happy, but she couldn't go home and face them, at least not yet.

The platoon, now only 26 in total, was seated in the briefing room. They were in their armor with their helmets in front of them on their desks. Their Lt. standing next to a hologram of a cargo freighter. The situation on Omega being worse than usual, they would be getting no new mechs for the foreseeable future, so they all knew they would need to be especially careful and pay extra attention to everything that was told them.

Lt. Vorleon spoke, "Ok people, here is our next mission. As you can see, this freighter is called the _Ter Alan. _I have received word that it is holding very valuable cargo that will fetch a very high price on the black market. Our job is simple: board the ship, and take it to our rendezvous point in the Dranek system. From there, we hand it off to the party interested in purchasing it, and we go on our merry way. Questions?"

Lee, a thin man in his early 20's with a buzzed haircut and hazel eyes asked, "How will we get on the ship?"

"As soon as they are in range, we will tell them they are going to be boarded. If they refuse, we'll tell them we'll simply destroy the ship," their CO said.

Allen screamed out, "What!?"

Looking around him he saw all the others, with the exception of Herja, were giving him looks that said they didn't understand what was wrong with that statement.

Thinking quickly Ryan rephrased, "I...I mean won't that destroy the cargo too?"

"These people always surrender rather than risk death. The mere threat of violence will keep them in line."

Mobutu, a tall african man in his late 30's asked, "What kind of defenses do they have?"

"Ships of this size never have more than a few dozen people on board. Of those, only one or two will be security. A force half our size could take this ship with ease, no need to worry about casualties on this run. Anything else?"

Herja raised her hand and asked in a voice she knew she had to keep neutral, "What do we do with the crew?"

_Goddess. What am I doing here?_

In a tone that showed that he was used to such endeavors, the Lt. answered, "Once we are aboard, we will confine the crew to a single room and keep them under guard. If they cooperate, then we do not shoot or harm them. If they resist, we pacify them by any means necessary.

"That said, watch you fire. On these old ships any stray round could compromise the hull, rip a good sized hole in the ship, and send you into deep space. Anything else?"

When no one raised their hands the Lt. dismissed the troops to prepare for the assault, which would begin soon.

Allen and Herja stayed behind in the briefing room. Ryan turned to his sergeant and said only 1 word, "Fuck."

Looking down at her hands Herja spoke up, "Yeah. I can't believe the rest of the squad is OK with this!"

Staring back at the door to ensure there was noone there, Allen said, "Most of the people here are not what you would call 'decent people.' You and me are the only two I can find who have any real sense of morality."

Herja just sighed, "I know. I honestly just thought my squad would be different, you know? I hoped that at least some of us were above shit like this, or at least would object to it."

Turning back to her, Allen put his hand on her back, "Look, the team we have are good soldiers, but they are not _good people. _Just because they watch out for us in combat doesn't mean we can trust them.

"You and me, we need to stick together. I am sure as shit not going to kill anybody on that ship, and I don't think you will either."

Looking him in the eye, Herja asked, "How do we get out of this? How do I look myself in the mirror if I know I'm responsible for the deaths of the people on that ship?"

Giving her a reassuring grip on the shoulder Allen said, "You are not responsible for what is about to happen. Herja, whatever happens on the _Ter Alan, _just don't shoot anybody, don't kill anyone or do anything when you don't have to, and you'll still be the same person you were when we started this."

Raising her voice slightly Herja demanded, "How can you say that?! We're about to become pirates! How can I just sit back and let this happen? Aren't we just as guilty as the rest of the people about to go do this?"

Allen replied in a cold and calm voice, "We don't have a choice. If I did, I would leave this place now, but I don't. You don't. All we can do is try to survive and hope to atone later. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. As long as we don't do those things, then as far as I'm concerned we're not necessarily innocent, but we aren't guilty either."

Herja asked in a disbelieving tone, "Do you really believe that? Are you really ok with what's about to happen?"

Shaking his head Ryan told her, "No, of course not. But I'm from a place where there is no such thing as right or wrong, just what is necessary to survive. Going along with this is necessary to survive, but I'm not going to _actually_ help these guys out."

In a soft and caring tone Ryan asked, "Do you think you can just survive for today?"

Herja only nodded.

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The boarding party was assembled at the main entrance to the ship. A docking 'bridge' was on the outside of the ship waiting to be extended when they arrived. They were all dressed in full armor with weapons ready. Allen and Herja stood next to each other, both leaning on the other for support.

The pilot of the ship announced over the ship's comms that they were near the _Ter Alan _and they had an open channel. The Lt. spoke, "Attention crew of the _Ter Alan, _you are about to be boarded. Have your ship come to a full stop and await further instructions. Attempt to flee, and you will be vaporised!"

One of the pilots announced over the ship's intercom, "The ship has stopped sir. Linking up on the port side entrance now."

The red hologram on the door turned green and the Lt. ordered the unit to move through. The trip through the 'bridge' was nerve racking for Allen. If the _Ter Alan _left now, then the entire platoon would be sucked into space. Every step seemed like a mile, every second seemed like an hour. His breath was slow and deliberate. Eventually, they reached the door, Herja and her squad in the lead.

The first squad went into the door and into a long white hallway. There were doors on the left and the right going all the way to the end of the hall. Out of one of the doors came a man with in a blue and brown uniform aimed a pistol right at Herja's head.

Allen recognized the threat immediately and screamed, "Look out!"

Herja put up a barrier as soon as she heard the warning, and the bullet that the man fired bounced off harmlessly. Allen then fired at the man's arm, causing him to drop the weapon. The rest of the platoon soon spread out to secure the rest of the ship. Herja then ordered Mobutu to see to the wounded man.

"

Sergeant, why? He tried to kill you?" the medic asked as he reluctantly followed his orders.

The NCO responded, "He's only doing his job. I'm fine. Now shut up and get to work!" She then walked over to Allen and thanked him.

"Like I said, we need to watch out for each other. I'm just glad I didn't kill him, " the mercenary said looking down at the injured crewman on the floor that was a few feet away from him.

Lt. Vorleon came up behind them and ordered, "Mobutu, take his prisoner and out him with the others. The rest of the crew is being held in the ship's cafeteria along with the rest of your squad, minus Pruor and Ryan, " looking back at them he said, "I need for you two to come with me. There may be other surprises waiting for us in the cargo bay and I need to see for myself that our information was accurate." They then followed their CO through one of the doors and into the bowels of the ship.

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The cargo hold was filled to the top with metal containers. Row after row on metal boxes stretched on for the entire length of the hold. The Lt. eventually came to the end of the room and found a pile of crates that came about up to his shoulders. "Ah, good."

Herja watched him open the box. Inside stacked in neat rows were small metal bricks. Curious as to what she nearly died for, she asked what those were.

Vorleon responded, "These are bullion bars made of pure platinum sergeant. They have just been refined from a plant on the planet Helyme."

Still not sure why they were there, Allen pressed on, "I still don't understand sir."

Closing the case the lieutenant looked back at her and explained, "During the Battle of the Citadel the Council and Alliance fleets took staggering losses. The need to rebuild the ships they lost has caused the prices of platinum, palladium, and iridium, to increase nearly triple in the past two years. The haul on this ship is worth at least 5.8 million credits. Now do you understand?"

Herja and Allen nodded slowly and Herja asked, "What now sir?" She prayed this would be over quickly. She didn't want to play pirate with these war profiteering fucks anymore than she had to.

Heading back to the living quarters of the ship Vorleon stated simply, "We dispose of the crew and then take the ship to the rendezvous."

_WHAT?! _Herja didn't believe what she had just heard.

"But sir, why," attempting and nearly failing to keep her voice level, "You said-"

Vorleon waved his hand in a dismissive gesture as he led the two of them through the door, "I know what I said in the briefing. I specified what would happen when we boarded the ship. I did not say what we would do when we _had _it. Now that the cargo is ours, the crew are just wasting space and air. Besides, once they get back to Council Space they will immediately report us to the authorities. We can not afford criminal charges pressed against us, or worse, have spectres sent after us"

Turning around he asked with a dangerous tone in his voice, "That order won't be a problem, will it?"

Herja said the only thing she could, and she hated herself for it. "No sir. No problem."

Nodding and with no emotion in his voice he ordered as he left the two of them, "Good. Then I want you to see to this personally."

Sgt. Herja Pruor was stunned. She had no idea how to get out of this. If she refused, then the Lt. would just shoot her and get someone else to do it. If she went through with this, then she was a goddess damned pirate and murderer.

_Goddess please help me find a way out of this!_

"Sarge," Ryan asked from behind her.

Not bothering to turn around she replied, "Yeah Allen?"

Walking up to her he stated, "I have an idea. You won't like it though."

Forcing a smile she said, "Right now, I don't care what the plan is. If it can help us, I'll do anything."

As she listened to Allen she realised he was right: she didn't really like it, but it was better than letting innocent people die. She decided that it was at least worth a try.

"Alright Allen, let's do it. Worst thing that'll happen is we get thrown out an airlock, right?"

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Allen walked into the ship's cafeteria, Herja close behind him. It was a small room, only having a few long tables and some food dispensers that worked just like vending machines did back on Earth in the late 1990's. Lee, Mobutu, and McCord were guarding the 34 passengers of the ship. Most of them were human, but there were a few asari and two turians among them. One, the man who tried to kill Herja, was near the front with a bandage on his arm.

Allen looked at Lee and ordered, "The LT wants you three to help him with the cargo."

Sounding unsure, Lee pointed his rifle at the prisoners and asked, "What about them? We can't just leave them."

Raising his voice Allen retorted, "The sarge and I can handle them. Can't you just shut up and follow your fucking orders for-"

Walking right up to Ryan Lee yelled back, "I AM FOLLOWING MY ORDERS!"

Glowing slightly, Herja came in between then and screamed, "Well here are MY orders: SHUT THE FUCK UP before I kill both of you! I have had it with you two! Ryan, go guard the crew. The rest of you, get the fuck out NOW! I don't know what the LT wants you for, and I don't give a shit. All I know is that he told me and Ryan to get rid of these people and that he needed you help with something. Now MOVE!"

The three left in a very short order after that.

Allen then said while still keeping an eye on the crew, "Sorry Herja. I just can't stand that guy."

Putting her hand to her face she replied, "To be fair, you did start it that time."

Looking at the floor he stated like a child that had just been scolded he replied, "I know."

Sighing she walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, "Forget about it. I hate him too," gesturing to the crew she recommended, "Let's get this over with."

One of the human crew stood up and pleaded with his hands up, "Please! You don't have to do this! We'll let you have the platinum, just let us go! We won't tell anybody about this, we swear! Right?"

The rest of the group except the turians all nodded their heads. The turians just kept looking at Allen and Herja with very deadly looks.

Glancing over at his sergeant Allen spoke up, "Think it's time we told them the plan."

Herja nodded and looked to the group, "Alright people, here's the situation: you're all pretty well fucked here. My friend and I really were sent to kill all of you,"

Just as they started to shout she raised her hands and continued, "But you're right, we don't have to do that. Hell, we don't even want to do that. We have a plan on how to get you out of this. This ship has a shuttle bay, right?"

The man who had stood up responded, "Yeah, it's not too far from here. Why?"

Herja informed the group, "You all will take the shuttle and get out of this system as quickly as possible. With luck, you can hit the Mass Relay before our ship's weapons can target you. It's not perfect, but it's the best shot you have."

The crewman asked in a skeptical voice, "Why should we believe any of this? How do we know you are telling us the truth?"

Shaking his head Allen told him, "You don't. But ask yourself this: If we were sent here to kill you, wouldn't we have just shot you and moved on? Why would we be standing here talking when we could be stealing your stuff and moving on?"

Nodding the man simply accepted the situation and sat down.

Herja announced, "If there aren't any questions, we should get moving before someone comes in to check on us."

With that, the group got up, and lead the two Eclipse members down the hall toward the shuttle bay.

Allen walked right beside the man he had shot, Herja on the opposite side of the crowd. Feeling guilty Allen spoke to the man, "Sorry about the arm. If it was anyone else, I'd have let you taken the shot," looking over at his asari friend Allen shook his head and stated, "But not _her." _

Not looking at him, the man only said,"Yeah."

After a few second he asked, "That scene back there with that other guy, was that planned? It seemed real to me."

Laughing a bit Allen replied, "That's because it was. I sort of improvised the entire thing. Lee and I have had it out for each other since the first day I met him. I don't know why, we just don't get along."

"

Huh," was his only response. Not that Allen minded. If the situation were reversed, he knew he wouldn't want to talk much either.

It wasn't much longer until they entered the shuttle bay and the crew began to pile into the small ship that had barely enough room to fit all of the crew.

As the last of them were about to enter Allen stopped the man who had pleaded with them in the cafeteria.

"Hey, I need to ask something of you."

Fear evident in his voice, the young man asked, "What?"

Allen swallowed and answered in a calm voice, "I need you to shoot me."

"

What?" the man nearly exploded.

Handing the man his rifle Allen informed him, "It's going to look pretty suspicious if all of you disappear without a trace and the two of us are both fine. I need a cover story of some type, or my friend and I are both dead."

"

You can't be serious!" the man said as he reluctantly took the weapon.

Allen put the end of the weapon on his shoulder, "I'm dead serious. Just pull the trigger a few times, and then take off."

"But-"

"No. You have to do this." Allen insisted.

The man slowly put the butt of the gun against his shoulder and pulled the trigger. Three rounds came out, and Allen fell back and put his hand to his wound screaming. The man dropped the gun and ran into the shuttle.

_Fuck! This was the best idea I could come up with?_

A searing pain unlike nothing Allen had ever experienced rushed through his shoulder. It was as if a fire had been ignited inside his body. He didn't even register Herja pulling him back through the door with her biotics while she carried their weapons in her hands.

As the doors closed behind them and the Eclipse ship announced the shuttle was launching Herja screamed into her communicator, "We've got casualties! Near the shuttle bay! Hurry!"

She put pressure on the wound and joked attempting to lighten the situation, "I think you've seen better days Allen."

The pain prevented Ryan from forming coherent sentences, but he managed to grunt a few times in response.

Soon a medic arrived, stopped the bleeding, and moved him back to the ship.

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Herja stood next to Allen, who was resting on a bed in the med bay of their ship. He had his shoulder repaired and it would be just as good as if it had never been injured in a day or two thanks to the excellent salarian surgeon and the state-of-the-art medical equipment the _Norton _had.

Allen was finally beginning to regain consciousness as he saw his visiter, "Hey."

Herja, who was out of her uniform and now wearing a brown shirt and tan pants, answered back, "Hey yourself. Glad you're back with us."

Sitting up a little Ryan asked what had happened. Herja informed him that it had only been a few hours since he was shot. The shuttle with the crew of the _Ter Alan _had made it to the Relay and escaped.

Smirking Herja noted, "The Lt. is not too happy about that. He said that he is taking a third of your pay from this mission as a punishment for letting one of the prisoners 'get the jump on you' as you humans say."

Putting his head back on the pillow Allen sighed, "Great. I get forced to become a pirate, get shot, and now I'm out how much money?"

Herja consoled, "Only 5,000 credits. That still leaves you with 10,000, besides it's not like we really need it."

Ryan inquired why she didn't get a deduction, to which she told him that she got a very 'serious' scolding from their CO instead.

With an interested look on his face Allen asked using his one good hand to form air quotes, "What do you mean 'serious' scolding?"

Laughing slightly his asari friend replied, "I don't care how mad he is, I just can't take Vorleon seriously when he tries to yell. I mean, have you heard him talk? It's like listening to some 38 year old maiden that just started to get her biotics."

"I'm guessing that's supposed to demean him?" Allen asked somewhat sarcastically. Herja only glared at him.

"

What?" he defended putting his good arm up defensively, "I don't know your species' idioms."

Tilting her head to the side Herja noted, "For just some kid from Omega, you sure do use some interesting words sometimes."

Allen just shrugged.

Closing his eyes Ryan inquired, "So, what now?"

Herja put her hands on her hips and reported, "The LT said he didn't want anymore mistakes so he is going to take the freighter to the Dranek System alone. The rest of us will take the _Norton _to the Citadel."

Opening his eyes slightly he wondered, "Why? Another job to do?"

Shaking her head she answered in a genuinely happy voice, "Actually no. He is giving us two local days worth of R&R as a bonus for doing a mostly oOK job. We should be there before too long."

Nodding in acknowledgement Allen said, "Good, we definitely need a break."

Herja replied, "Yeah, we do. And Allen," she asked.

He looked her in the eye and she continued, "Thanks, for today I mean. You saved not just my life but my, well, my soul I guess you could say. I won't forget what happened."

Really smiling for the first time in a long time Allen told her, "Don't mention it. Like I said, we have to look out for each other right?"


	6. Chapter 6

Warning: This chapter contains some brief mentionings of nudity and an adult situation.

Chapter Six: The Citadel

**The next day. The Citadel. **

Allen rubbed his shoulder for the tenth time that morning. He was in his quarters aboard the _Norton, _wearing the same slightly tattered clothes he had worn on Omega the day he joined Eclipse. This was not by choice; these were the only civilian clothes he had taken with him when he left his home. That was just one of several mistakes he intended to correct today.

He exited his spartanly decorated living quarters and headed for Herja's room. Most of the crew had already left when the ship docked an hour previously, but Allen had stayed behind to get his thoughts in order. He needed to get out of this group, he had known that from day one, but what about Herja? He needed to know what her plans were.

Coming up on her room near the exit to the ship, Allen knocked on the door.

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Herja Pruor was sitting in front of the terminal that was in her room. She was dressed in the tight commando leathers that her mom had given her when she left home. She took a deep breath and dialed her home's contact number. She waited patiently for a few moments before a voice sounded through the speakers.

"Hello?" It was her mom. Herja couldn't look at her mom and tell her what she had seen, the people she was with. Still, she needed to hear her voice, needed to let her family know she was still alive.

Swallowing hard Herja answered, "Hello mom."

"Herja! Thank the Goddess you called! Do you know how worried I've been?!"

Frowning and feeling even worse now than before she asked, "Worried?"

"For Goddess sake Herja! Blood Pack? You fought against Blood Pack! And then you send us back that helmet like this is some type of game?"

Lowering her head Herja replied, "Mom, I'm so sorry. If I had known-"

She was cut off by her mother, "And then what does your father do? He parades it all over the city and shows it to literally EVERYONE he sees like it was a message that said you had just been awarded a scholarship from the University of Serrice!"

In a defeated voice she tried to defend herself, "It seemed ...um..._appropriate _at the time. Dad did say he wanted a trophy-"

"Do not use that as an excuse! A trophy is a shiny pistol or a piece of shrapnel you get in the arm, not the helmet of a Blood Pack soldier!"

Herja couldn't even respond. Now her own mother was upset at her for doing what Herja thought she wanted. She just wanted to end this nightmare and go home, but she couldn't even do that now.

After a few second her mother questioned, "Herja? Herja? Are you still there?"

Sighing a little she replied, "Yeah, I'm still here mom."

"Why didn't you set this to visual instead of just audio? Goddess, you didn't get hurt, did you?"

Quickly Herja reassured, "No! No mom. I'm fine. Just forgot I guess. Sorry."

Hearing her mother let out a long breath she said, "So am I. I didn't mean to snap like that. It's just...do you know about the Guard's history with them? You know _my _history with them?"

Not looking even at the blank screen Herja replied, "Yes. But I didn't have a choice. They were attacking us. Mom, I lost people. Good people. If I don't have to fight them again, believe me I won't."

"Good. I'm sorry about your men. Believe me I know what that's like. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"No mom. Just wanted to let you know that I'm OK. Tell dad and Rota I love them ok?"

"Sure thing. I love you Herja. I'm...I really am proud of you. Don't think for a minute I'm not."

"Thanks mom. I love you too," she disconnected the call with tears just starting to form.

She heard a knock on the door. _Allen. I swear he's the only person in this whole galaxy who knocks, _"Come in."

Allen entered the room just as Herja stood up. Ignoring the slight stare he gave her body she asked, "Why aren't you off the ship yet?"

After a second or two it finally registered that she had asked him a question and Ryan snapped out of his gaze and replied, "I just wanted to talk. Not here though. Were you going to head out or not?"

"Yes. I was just about to leave when you arrived."

She walked past him and toward the exit. After a few seconds she looked back and saw Allen staring right at her backside. Deciding she needed a distraction, she started swaying her hips a bit more. She nearly burst out laughing when Allen's eyes followed her hips move from side to side.

"See anything you like?" she asked with a wicked grin on her face as they neared the exit.

Cheeks reddening slightly Allen stuttered, "Well, umm...I... you see...fuck it."

Herja only laughed at his embarrassment.

As the two finally exited the ship and headed into the crowded docking bay Herja turned around and asked what Allen's plans were.

"I was just about to ask you that. I was probably going to try to find a place to _fade away, _you know."

Herja asked if Allen knew of anybody that could help him with his plan. When he answered in the negative, she thought of something.

Looking around and deciding that it was loud enough that they wouldn't be overheard, Herja told Allen, "Look, you know about the Shadow Broker, right?"

Allen nodded, "Yeah. Who doesn't?"

Herja said with some reluctance,"Well, like I said my dad is a bounty hunter. Sometimes he comes here to get information on where some of his targets are hiding out. On the Presidium there is a volus named Barla Von. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker. If anybody on this station can point you to your destination, it's him."

Nodding in acknowledgment Allen said, "Thank you. You're sure?"

Looking him in the eye she confirmed, "Yeah. Dad said that if I ever decided to take up the 'family business' as he calls it, that I need good information on my targets. The Broker has all the information you need. For a price."

"All right, I'll check it out."

Just before he turned to go, Allen looked at his squad leader, "Hey, want to meet up later and maybe get some food? You know? In case it's that last time we see each other?"

Smiling she replied, 'Sure. I'll send you the name and location of the restaurant. I get to decide where we eat if you're the one walking out on me."

Smirking Allen said, "Sure," and then walked off into the crowds.

Herja put her hand on her face. What now? Her mom is worried sick, her only friend in this place is about to leave her, and she still can't go home because of what she nearly did on the _Ter Alan. _

_I think I need a drink. _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Allen walked along the path in the Presidium, the eternal daylight shining brightly did little to improve his mood however. He couldn't stop thinking about the choices he had made and those he was about to make.

One thought stuck in his mind more than the others: _Am I really walking out on her?_

He had only known Herja a short time, but they had become fast friends. More, she was the only person in the whole platoon that Ryan seemed to be comfortable being around.

_And now I'm going to leave her. That's not right Allen, and you know it. _

Allen had told her from the beginning that he was planning on leaving Eclipse, he had no loyalty to them and felt nothing at the thought of desertion. Still, leaving Herja, that was something Allen hadn't really thought about.

_Would she be OK there? What kind of question is that? She's not OK now! If there was ever a time not to walk away from your responsibilities Allen, it's now!_

But did he really owe her that? Sure, she had saved his life, but he had also saved hers. Didn't that make them even? Besides, wasn't his main obligation to himself anyways?

Before he could ask himself any more questions, he had arrived at his destination. Barla Von's office was easy enough to find. Everybody on the Citadel had heard of him and his supposed connections. Standing in front of the office, Allen took a deep breath and entered the room. Inside there was only the tiny volus sitting at a desk and two chairs in front of him.

The agent looked up from his terminal and greeted in a warm voice, "Ah, hello Earth Clan... didn't believe I had any...appointments scheduled for today...How can I help you?"

Taking a seat in a chair Allen answered, "I don't have an appointment, and you can help me a great deal," _Best to be direct I guess, _"I know you work for the Shadow Broker."

Taking a breath Barla Von responded, "Yes. It seems to be...one of the best known secrets on the station..._._So what do you want?"

Allen stated simply, "I'm an Eclipse member, and I want out."

Putting his hand to his chin Barla told him, "Oh...that's not really the service_..._I provide,"

Allen was about to protest before Barla put up his hand and cut him off, "But, I can direct you to...the people who do that sort of thing."

Barla Von typed a few keys on his terminal and sat back slightly, "Oh dear,...it seems we, or that is you...have a serious problem."

His pace quickening Ryan asked what kind of problem it was.

Scratching his shoulder the volus told him, "Well, you don't have enough money to..._._pay for your _relocation..._In fact, my services would take away most_..._of your account. I'm sorry."

Allen spoke with a deadly calm, "What do you mean I don't have enough money? You mean I'm stuck where I'm at with no way out?"

Shaking his head Barla asked why Allen needed to fade away like this anyhow.

Allen informed him, "Groups like Eclipse don't just let people walk away for nothing. Yeah, I've heard that there's some type of process where people are allowed to quit, but that takes weeks or months. Plus, I'm pretty sure that asking my CO for permission to leave the gang would just be giving him a reason to kill me. Just deserting with no documentation means that they could have a much easier time finding me, and then they would definitely kill me.

"I need this to completely hid from them. No papers means I have no proof I'm someone else."

Sighing Barla responded, "Then I'm sorry about your luck Earth Clan...I can't help you," The volus then sat up a little and looked at Allen with his head tilted slightly, "But perhaps you could...help me."

Slightly confused now Allen asked what the volus meant.

"The Broker needs..._._eyes and ears everywhere to maintain the network..._._Most of his operatives in Eclipse were killed by Archangel. He needs new people to keep...himself informed of the operations in the Terminus...If you were offered a job, would you accept?"

Allen asked, "You mean, become an agent for The Broker?"

Barla breathed out, "Not so much agent as.._._informant. Agents do specific tasks such as assassination, espionage, kidnapping, etc...If you were given such an assignment...you would be expected to carry it out..._._but the chances of that are unlikely at best."

Allen thought for a little while about the offer. What had he got to lose? If he had no choice but to stay in Eclipse, why not earn some extra cash on the side? Maybe he could mitigate some of the bad things he knew he would do this way.

"Exactly what would you have me do?" Allen asked.

Breathing in Barla told him that he would simply report any activity that he knew with 100% certainty was happening. He would receive pay for every piece of intel he provided the Broker deemed useful.

The volus then handed Ryan a new omni-tool and said, "If the Broker requires more from you,_..._or has any messages for you, then you will receive them on this...It has direct connection to the Broker Network. You will send all your messages to the...Broker on this omni-tool as well. Do you accept Earth Clan?"

Allen simply took the omni-tool and asked, "Do I start today?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Is this really the spot?_

Allen Ryan stood outside a bar/restaurant on the lower Wards. The establishment had a neon sign that read _The Sapphire Star. _The only problem was, it wasn't just a place to eat. The glowing outlines of human and asari in various _positions _gave that away.

As soon as Allen had left Barla Von's office, he had contacted Herja with his new omni-tool. She had sent him a typed message of the name and place of here she wanted to meet him. Allen couldn't believe that Herja wanted to meet _here _of all places.

_Didn't picture her for that type of girl, or asari, or whatever. _

Allen entered the restaurant and looked around for his sergeant. On the far right of the room was a bar, with three bartenders catering to many customers. On the left was a stage where an asari was removing the last of her clothes as she worked her way around the pole in the center of the stage, and a crowed that was mostly made of humans cheered her on. Spread around the room were several tables where patrons could get lap dances, several of which were filled with human and turian customers. Music played at a more than loud volume.

Allen felt a little dirty being in a place like this. Shame was not a usual thing he felt, but he was feeling it now. Eventually he spotted Herja. She was seated in a booth on the far end of the room facing the door and was waving Allen over to her. Ryan quickly made his way over to her. Herja had a half empty bottle in front of her and was just re-filling up her glass as Ryan approached.

"Took you long enough. Admiring the eye-candy?" Herja asked with a smirk on her face and the smell of alcohol on her breath.

Sitting down Allen quickly responded, "What? Um...no! I...I just had a hard time finding you is all."

Downing another shot of whatever blue liquor she was drinking Herja laughed, "Yeah, sure. So what cha havin'?"

Allen looked at the table for a menu, but there wasn't one. "Um, what do they have?"

"They got the best shit from all over the galaxy. Batarian ale. Human beer. Asari liquor," Herja said as she held up her bottle," You name it, they sell it."

With a sheepish look on his face he said, "I meant what in the way of _food _do they got?"

Herja Looked at Allen as if he had just turned green for a few seconds before she realized what he had said, "Oh, right. Lunch," She waved over at a scantily clad asari dancer who approached before the two.

She asked Herja in a rather tired voice, "So who is this for, you or your friend here? And before you ask, no we do _not _offer _those _types of services here. If you want that, then you'll need to head to-"

Allen quickly interrupted her before he was any more embarrassed, "It's not like that! I just want something to eat. Do you have any _clean _food here?"

The dancer looked over at Allen and stated, "The only thing remotely clean in this place is the alcohol we serve, but I could try to get you something you won't get sick from."

Nodding several times Allen thanked her, and she walked off. To Allen's credit, he only stared at her bare bottom for a second or two.

Herja noticed that and decided to have some fun, "So, who has a better ass? Me, or her?"

His face reddening, Allen just stared at her, "Um..."

_What is with her today? _

Frowning she continued, "Well? Me or her?"

Deciding it best to just roll with it, Allen conceded, "You. Definitely. Now can we please drop the subject?"

Smirking Herja just said, "Fine."

A few minutes passed which Allen found very awkward. Eventually he asked Herja why she chose this place instead of a decent restaurant.

"Dad said this place had good drinks," she answered taking yet another shot, "and he was right."

Not believing she had drank most of the bottle Allen asked, "Just how much have you had?"

"Not sure. Does it matter?"

Looking at the nearly empty bottle Ryan replied, "No, I guess not."

Leaning back in her booth Herja commented, "You know a lot about me, but I don't know much about you."

Smiling Allen replied, "You know me."

"No, I mean your family. What about them? Isn't there more to say other than 'they're dead?'"

After a few seconds Herja realized what she had just said, "Oh Goddess! Allen I-"

Allen put up his hands, "It's OK. Really. Anyway, there really isn't much to tell. My mom and dad came to Omega when I was about two or three. I figure I'm about twenty or so now, so you can do the math on how long I was there."

Herja nodded and Allen continued, "They thought it would be a better life. That there would be plenty of work, and that things would turn out ok." A disgusted look came across his face, "A lot of humans thought that way when we first heard of the station. When they found out the truth when they arrived, it was too late to turn back. I don't really remember my dad. Mom said that one morning when I was about six he just left for work one morning and just never came back."

Shaking her head Herja commented, "That bastard!" putting her hands up again she apologised again.

Waving her off Ryan reassured her, "Don't worry about it. I never really knew him anyway. Thing of it is, mom never talked badly about him, even when I was older. She said he wasn't the type to ever run out on his obligations. That if he could have come back, he would have. Could be he was just killed that day," Allen shrugged, "I don't know. Nothing really more to tell. Mom made friends with a former marine who worked in the markets, and he helped take care of me. I worked in the markets from when I was about 11 till I joined Eclipse. You know the rest."

Just as Allen finished the dancer returned with a stake and a side of vegetables and a beer to drink, "This is as clean as I could get it for you. Enjoy."

Looking hungrily at the meal, Allen thanked her and gave her a very generous tip, "Thank you."

Looking at her omni-tool the dancer asked with a smile, "You sure you don't want anything _else?"_

Looking up Allen stated after taking a sip of his drink, "No, thanks though."

The asari walked off, leaving Herja and Allen aone. The two fell into a comfortable silence, Ryan eating his meal, Herja having finally slowed down enough to where she was just sipping her drink.

When Allen had finished he and Herja paid their bill, which was mostly for the bottle of asari liquor Herja drank and the four beers Allen had, and headed to the door. The two could barely walk a straight line and nearly fell over as they exited the building. Ryan managed to catch Herja just before she fell over.

As he tried to get her to stand up straight, her face and his came very close together. A small hiccup from Herja soured any mood though.

With a small giggle Herja smiled and said, "Sorry."

Allen, who was the more sober of the two, eventually managed to get her into a rapid transit car, and headed back to the ship. When they arrived at the docking bay Allen helped Herja out of the car and assisted her as they walked to the entrance to the ship.

"Come on, lets get you to bed."

The asari in his arms said in a suggestive tone, "My, so _bold. _I like that!"

Allen just ignored her and continued on into the ship. They eventually arrived in Herja's room and Allen placed her on the bed.

As he turned to leave Herja grabbed his arm and demanded, "Just where do you think you're going?"

Surprised by this, Allen just pointed to the door and said, "Out."

"Oh really?" Herja asked as she rose from the bed and put her hands on Allen's shoulders.

"Didn't you say something about getting me into bed? Well, there's the bed," Herja said as she pointed to where she slept, "And here _we_ are," the asari stated as she closed the distance between them.

Allen didn't move. He had no idea what was going on with Herja, and part of him was ashamed of himself for it, but he was beginning to enjoy this.

Herja looked him dead in the eye and told him, "I saw how you were looking at me today. I saw you looking at the dancers back there," she smirked and moved her lips just inches from his, "I _know _you want me."

Allen choked a bit, "What?" _This can't end well. _

Herja just smiled and kissed him. It was long, hard, and rough, "You want me, I know you do. And right now I want _you _too. Come on Allen, lets have some _fun!" _

_Did she just say that? No, no she would never-_

Before Allen could finish that thought, she grabbed the back of his head and pressed her lips to his again. Her lips were softer than anything Allens had felt before, but the fierceness and desperation of the kiss took him by surprise. Their bodies were pressed up against each other. Allen felt her firm breasts under her tight leather outfit. Eventually they both tor their lips away from each other when they both needed air. Herja pulled Allen to the bed.

Ryan's head was spinning. This didn't make any sense at all. Herja was always friendly to him, but she never showed him any kind of interest in him as a _partner_. Now she was practically jumping him, and the worst part of it: Allen was definitely enjoying this.

_I shouldn't, but I am. Isn't this wrong? Shouldn't I stop this? _

Allen felt part of this was wrong in doing this. Herja was his superior. Worse, she was his friend.

_Is it really wrong though? She's been coming on to me the whole day! _

Then again, there was that alcohol she drank. Chances are she was just drunk and acting on whatever impulse she felt at the moment. Allen wasn't exactly sober either, so was it really wrong to do this?

Herja broke him out of his internal struggle when she asked laying on the bed below him when she asked in a husky and hungry tone, "Are we gonna do this or what?"

_Fuck it. I'm gonna regret this._

Herja lay underneath Allen as she unzipped her leather jumpsuit all the way down to her bellybutton, exposing a very large portion of her chest. Allen followed suit and took of his shirt, showing the injury he had received the previous day. Their lips met again, Allen rubbing the back of Herja's neck with one hand and grabbing her ass with the other. His asari lover was stroking his neck and back.

Allen removed his lips from hers and began to kiss her neck, then he moved lower. He kissed her breasts, and moved further down. Allen kissed along her belly and moved down to her bellybutton. He looked up for permission to go lower...only to discover that his partner had fallen asleep.

Allen could only smile and chuckle softly to himself. He zipped up Herja's clothing and put his shirt back on as quickly and quietly a he could. As he sit on the bed, he knew he had a choice: stay or go. If he left, then he would have to try to get back to his room and probably collapse on the way there. On the other hand, he was already in a room with a bed right below him, so why not stay? Allen curled into next to Herja and fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a few hours later when Herja awoke. She groaned loudly as she put her hand to her head.

Allen was woken up by this and greeted her in as quiet a voice as possible, "Hey."

Looking over at him she just let out another long moan and sat up.

Allen did the same and asked timidly, "How do you feel?"

Covering her eyes with her hands she replied, "Like shit. How much did I drink anyway?"

Allen told her rubbing his head, "About a full bottle. Of what I don't know."

Herja just nodded.

After a few moments Allen finally said, "I'm not sure this is the best time, but well," he looked right over at her and with all the honesty he had said, "I'm, sorry."

Herja, barely awake and very confused, just asked probably harsher than she meant to, "What the fuck for?"

Allen looker her in the eye and replied, "For...um, well what happened?"

Herja looked at herself then at Ryan. "We're both dressed. You put my leathers back on and you're apologizing for that?" She thought about the last thing she remembered an wondered out loud, "Wait, what happened?"

Allen then told her, quietly and calmly, what had happened a few hours ago. He told her about the bar, the dancers, and Herja's own behavior. Allen also told her what happened when they got back to the ship, emphasising the fact that she seemed completely out of her mind.

"Yeah, I remember...well...some of what you just said." Herja said as she seemed to recover slightly. She looked at the look at Allen's face and asked, "Are you alright? You seem troubled."

He inquired, "Aren't you mad? Don't you feel...I don't know?"

Laying back down Herja sighed, "Feel what Allen?"

He wasn't sure how to put this, so he just went and said it. "We almost had sex. You were _very _drunk. I wasn't sober, but I wasn't completely out of my mind either. You came on to me, and I...I went for it."

He looked away from her, "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

"Please stop saying sorry Allen. There's nothing to be sorry about."

Not believing her he asked, "There isn't?"

She sat up slightly and looked at him, "Look, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I assure you I was in control of myself the entire time. I may not have been thinking as clearly as maybe I could have been, but I don't regret a thing. If we ever get another shore leave, I'll try not to get that shit faced again."

Allen was relieved to hear this, "Thank you. This whole thing just got a lot less awkward."

Sitting up again now she asked, "Why was this awkward? Because we nearly had sex?"

"Well, um...yes?"

Confused she asked, "I thought human males mainly thought sex as nothing more than a physical activity or stress reliever. That's why I suggested it in the first place."

Shocked, Allen questioned, "Wait? You mean you really wanted to have sex with me?"

Shrugging Herja asked, "Why not?"

Allen rubbed the back of his head and told her, "Well...look um, how do I say this?" _Best to be direct. _"Most humans don't casually have sex with their friends unless they are either really drunk, like we were, or in some type of relationship. At least that's how I think things are _supposed _to be."

Herja asked with a straight face, "So, I asked you if you wanted to fuck now, you would say no?"

Cheeks reddening slightly Allen said, "Probably...I'm not...Look, I'm not against sex, but I don't just jump into bed for the sake of it either."

Glaring at him Herja asked harshly, "Is that what you think I do or what I just meant?!"

"What?" _Oh fuck, how did I get here? _"No! I just meant that I don't just think of sex all the time like most other humans do. Personally, I don't really have much of a sex drive, and I probably only would be interested in sleeping with someone if I was in an actual relationship with them. Just now was, well, it seemed like the thing to do at the time. It won't happen again."

Nodding slightly Herja relented on her glare, "I see. I'm sorry if I overreacted, but I'm still out of it right now. Perhaps I should clarify what just happened and what I meant just now?"

Ryan nodded.

Breathing in Herja explained, "Asari have always been more comfortable in sexual situations than most other species in the galaxy, and that has lead to rumors of promiscuity. We take such comments as a great insult, hence why I was so angry just now," Allen nodded in acknowledgement as Herja continued, "While we do have more partners on average than any other species, it is only because we live longer and don't have such a stigma towards sex as say your species does.

"We do not immediately equate sex to love and relationships so much as to general closeness between people. It is not uncommon among my people for two close friends to have intercourse in they are both not in a serious relationship. While it does not mean that they will become bondmates, such actions are NOT done lightly however. Sex and melding is only ever done between two people who have at least a strong friendship in my culture. Most of us actually take great care as to whom we allow into our minds and bodies. Sex to us is intimacy and closeness, but not necessarily romantic love.

"Earlier I wanted to be with you because I thought we could both enjoy ourselves. I didn't think you would have a problem with it and I consider you a close friend in spite of the short time we have spent together."

Allen told her, "Well I'm flattered you think of me that highly."

"Of course, but can I ask you something Allen?"

Nodding he said, "Sure, yeah."

Herja asked him, "What are your feelings toward me?"

_When will this day be over? _"What do you mean by that?" Allen stuttered out.

The asari continued, "You said that you only sleep with someone if you were romantically attracted to them. You chose to stay with me instead of leaving. You are not a person to do things without a purpose Allen. You always have a reason, even if you don't know what it is."

Rubbing his shoulder again Ryan asked why it mattered.

"My people are more open about their feeling than yours. If a person is attracted to another, they say so. If the feelings are not reciprocated, then it is accepted and they both move on. If the feelings are, they start a relationship. It is very simple."

Wishing he was anywhere else right now Allen asked, "What are you getting at here?"

Herja looked at Allen and told him, "I think you may be interested in me as more than a friend. It's not just today that I have seen you looking at me suggestively. You have also been kinder to me than any other person on this ship. Forgive me if this is an invasion of privacy, but this could cause issues later if not addressed now. So, I ask you: are you romantically interested in me?"

Allen thought about the question. _Am I?_

He was no doubt physically attracted to Herja, but that wasn't the issue. Did he care about her safety? Yes. Was he worried about her getting hurt the next time they were deployed? Of course. Did he want a relationship with her?

_I...I never really thought about that. _

He looked at her and said the only thing he could, "I really don't know."

Signing she responded, "I see. Well, lets not spend anymore time on this. I again apologise if I seem off in my behavior, but this needs to be addressed. Do you understand why?"

Allen nodded, "Yeah."

Ryan wasn't stupid. He knew that concern was OK, but too much of that could distract him in the middle of a firefight. That could easily get him or someone else killed. He didn't want that to happen.

Herja stood and got off the bed. "Good. Are you hungry? It's about 1800 right now and I could really use something to eat," she asked as she looked at her omni-tool.

Allen rose and said, "Sure. Lets go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Herja and Allen stood outside the door leading to the ship. It was the next day, and their shore leave was at an end. The dinner that the two had enjoyed the previous day was enjoyable, if a bit awkward for Ryan. He had told Herja his situation with the Broker and how he would be staying. Herja said that Allen could still leave if he wished. Ryan replied that even if he could leave, he wouldn't. Not with her still there. Herja was deeply moved by this and thanked Allen for his loyalty.

The next day the two shopped for clothes, weapon modifications, and other useful things. When that was done, they saw the new Blasto movie, which they both enjoyed. Allen thought it was funny, pointlessly violent, and had little if any plot.

Herja said to Ryan as she went into the airlock, "Last chance to leave."

Smiling he said, "And let you face all the danger yourself? Not a chance!"

It was fairly early on the ship, so the two got in line for breakfast in the ship's mess behind the rest of the squad. The rest of the crew having already arrived and started eating.

Allen heard Lee and Mobutu talking, "Hey man, you hear about what went down on Bekenstein?"

Mobutu shook his head, "No. Why?"

Lee informed him, "Shit man. OK, about 50 of our guys bought it. See, they were guarding this guy Hock at some fancy party he was having and..."

Allen just tuned the rest of their conversation out. He didn't need to hear any more about how dangerous their job was. He knew what his chances of survival were, but he didn't care anymore. There was only one person he cared about; one thing that mattered to him. And that was the asari standing behind him who looked like she was also attempting not to think about what Lee was saying.

Allen didn't know what his feelings were regarding Herja, but he knew he needed to figure that out soon, or they both might be paying for it.

A/N: Please review, I'm going in blind hee without them! Also, Hugo I stole your sentence here. I hope you can forgive me:)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I will be changing when I upload chapters to sometime over the weekends now. I will also only be posting one chapter a week from now on. I start a new job Monday and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write, so I have to spread out the few reserve chapters I have left to give myself time to get more written. I hope you understand, and enjoy!

Chapter Seven: The lives we live.

**Four Days later. Planet Joab, Enoch System. **

Sgt. Herja Pruor inspected her squad. They stood in one of the shuttles that was heading down to the surface of the planet. The shuttle itself was of the same general build that the Alliance and Cerberus seemed so fond of using. Herja was relieved that at least the squad she had took advantage of their shore leave just as she and Allen did. All her people had magazines that contained more ammo, they had gotten better shield generators, and Mobutu had gotten a belt that could hold more medi-gel at once. Overall, they were as ready to make this assault as they could be.

The platoon was about to raid a Blue Suns base on the planet. A freighter, the MSV Strontium Mule, was attacked by the Suns while Herja and her unit were on leave. The ship managed to send out a message that said that the Suns set a trap for them by sending out a false distress signal, but they didn't get a chance to say what planet it was on before the transmission was terminated. Of the nine crew members aboard the ship, none survived.

The company that owned the ship was furious. They knew that the council would do nothing, so they sought some help through _other _means. The company paid the Shadow Broker for the locations on any Blue Suns bases that could have sent that signal. Once they had that information, Eclipse was hired to find the base where the signal originated, shut it down, and kill any Blue Suns soldiers they found.

Once Herja was sure that her people were ready she informed them, "Ok people, here's the plan. Since the base is located under ground, we can't just bombard it from orbit. Even if we could, we still need to find out just where this distress signal is being sent from.

"The Suns actually decided to use their brains for once and set up camp in the middle of a small canyon. The landing zone is too small for more than one shuttle to go in at once, so our first objective is to go in, hold the LZ, and kill anybody stupid enough to get in our way. Questions?"

Kerns raised her hand and asked, "Just how many hostiles can we expect?"

The sergeant answered, "The intel we got from the Broker says just about 40, maybe 50 Blue Suns."

"So we'll be outnumbered assaulting a fortified enemy position. Perfect," Kerns commented.

Herja reassured the squad, "Look, we have the element of surprise on our side. We survived against the Blood Pack didn't we? We can do this people, just stay strong and don't give up. Got it?"

"Yes sergeant!" the entire squad answered.

The shuttle pilot called out, "15 seconds!"

Herja went to the door and looked back at her squad as the got their weapons ready, "Game faces people!"

The pilot counted down, "5...4...3...2...1!"

Sgt. Herja Pruor led the squad out of the shuttle...and into a hail of bullets. Eight enemy troops with assault rifles and two with rocket launchers had opened fire on the Eclipse soldiers as soon as they had landed.

Herja immediately yelled, "Get to cover! Move!"

The canyon had several rock formations between the LZ and the entrance to the base that could provide good cover, if Herja and her squad could make it that far. All around her Herja could see and hear the rounds from the defenders weapons. She felt the heat of one round as it passed right by her cheek, missing her head by less than an inch. A rocket hit the ground about 10 feet behind her and the resulting explosion nearly caused her to topple over.

She didn't stop until she finally reached the relative protection of a large and thick rock, Allen and McCord taking position on her right. The rest of the squad hid behind another large boulder to her left and began returning fire immediately afterward.

Herja looked up and surveyed the enemy position. A dozen riflemen were firing at them, with two heavy troopers loading more missiles. A turian sentinel and a batarian with holographic armor seemed to be directing them. One of the heavies saw Herja and fired a missile at her once she had reloaded. Herja ducked her head, the missile hitting the canyon wall behind her.

Allen took notice of this and yelled at her, "Watch it sarge, you almost got hit!"

Herja yelled back, "Put that in a memo titled '**SHIT I ALREADY KNOW'!**"

She then yelled into her communicator, "Lee, concentrate fire on the rocket troopers. Kerns, take out the officers. Everyone else cover on my mark," she took up position behind the rock with Allen and McCord and saw the others doing the same.

She then yelled out, "Now!" as she fired at the enemy.

Herja saw the trooper she was firing at stumble back and fall to the ground. A rocket trooper was hit and did the same. A rocket from Kerns hit the turian sentinel, killing him instantly. Herja saw the batarian soldier immediately running back towards the base after witnessing this, leaving his men behind.

_Coward. _

Herja commanded Lee, "Lee! Take that bastard four eyes out!"

Just as the four eyed soldier was about to pass through the door to relative safety, a round from Lee's sniper rifle tore through his knee. The Blue Suns officer fell over and screamed in agony. Herja looked over to Kerns, who merely nodded. She carefully aimed her weapon at the wounded enemy and fired. His remains rained down on his remaining troops.

The sergeant ordered, "McCord, Ryan, flank 'em!" She looked to the others and yelled, "The rest of you: suppressing fire! Now!"

Allen and McCord ran to the right of the rocks while the rest of the squad kept the enemy pinned down. Once they had a clear line of sight, they opened fire. It was over in seconds. Once the Suns were all dead, Allen looked over to Herja and gave her a nod, which she returned. Just then Herja saw another shuttle arrive, and a full squad and Lt. Vorleon stepped out.

_About fucking time. _

The salarian walked up to Herja and demanded, "Why have you not advanced? We need to press onward before they get entrenched!"

_Any more dug in then they already are you stupid toad? _

Taking a breath the asari replied, "Sir, we just killed an enemy squad and didn't have the manpower to '_press onward_' because we didn't get any reinforcements!"

The Lt. put his hand on his SMG, "Watch your tone, sergeant. Just for that, your squad takes point inside!"

Glaring at her superior, Herja signaled for her troops to stack up at the door. The sergeant taking point herself, the squad rushed in through the entrance to the base.

The base itself was in a large open cave system. The room could fit a three story house inside of it. Unfortunately, there was not much in the way of cover save for a table and some crates that could be easily shot through. Worse, there was a balcony that would allow anyone on it a wide field of fire. As soon as Herja entered the room, she realized just how screwed she was if she didn't do something. Quick.

Two turians armed with shotguns were firing on her right. That wasn't the biggest problem though; the Suns had five men on the balcony firing down on Herja and her squad. Acting on instinct, Herja biotically charged on of the turians, knocking him down, and finished him off before he had a chance to recover. She then biotically slammed the other turian into the ground with bone crushing force.

This display of power distracted the Blue Suns soldiers enough to give the rest of the squad enough time to enter without getting shot at. Lee took cover behind the table and immediately sniped two of the Suns, forcing the rest of them to take cover behind the wall of glass in front of them. Herja then through up a singularity, catching the rest of the hostiles in the gravity well it created. The squad soon finished them off.

Just as Herja was about to speak, reinforcements flooded in through a door at the far end of the room. Just as it seemed that the squad would be annihilated allied troops stormed in.

Another Eclipse vanguard warped a human while Vorleon used an overload to distract an enemy sentinel. Herja quickly rejoined her squad on the other side of the room, gunning down two enemies as she enclosed the distance. Once she was at the table, she again charged into a heavy and eliminated him as a threat.

The asari then entered the room the hostiles had come from, and found it empty. She looked over to the troops that had just save her and her people and nodded to them in thanks.

Their platoon leader then said in a loud but non-impressive voice, "Keep moving! We still have to secure the base! Move out!"

Shaking her head at the salarian, she gesture her squad to follow her. On the opposite side of the room the Blue Suns had ambushed them from, there was a door that led to a ramp, which in turn, led to the balcony. In back of said terrace was a door that led to a lower level of the compound. Once again leading the way, Herja opened the door at the bottom of the ramp.

The lower level of the base was filled with crates. These however were sturdy and could hold up against most weapons fire for long periods of time. In the center was a raised platform where a turian commander was waiting.

Herja put up a barrier a soon as she saw him. As the bullets bounced off of her, she charged to the left out of his line of fire. Two more riflemen came up on her left, but she shot one and the other was torn apart by fire from Heja's team. Once any threat of being flanked was eliminated, the entire team took aim and fired at the turian. His shield kept up for several minutes, but once they were done Herja hit him with the most powerful warp she could muster. Stumbling back, the turian tried once more to defend himself, only to have a dozen shots rip through him.

Breathing deeply Herja told her men, "Good work," she said as she looked at the room.

She could hear other troops moving. She saw the other squad taking positions on the platform. The other asari sergeant gestured for Herja's squad to move around and engage the enemy. She only nodded and the moved onward.

Once she was on the other side of the platform, she and her troops again took cover. This time however, they were not alone. On Heja's right she saw the squad open fire with everything they had. Rifles, biotics, tech attacks, grenades, and Blue Suns never had a chance.

Surveying the damage they had just brought to the enemy, Herja waved to the others and yelled, "Thanks for the assist. We'll check for survivors."

Herja moved up and looked for anybody still alive. She saw a single man crawling away from her. He had one leg blown off, and half of his face was badly burnt. A piece of shrapnel was sticking out of his back. How he survived at all was simply a mystery.

Herja walked over with her squad and put a foot on the man's back, "Hold it. I need to ask you some questions first."

She grabbed the man's shoulder and turned him over, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Please, just let me die," the soldier pleaded.

Looking at the man with genuine sympathy Herja asked in a calm and polite voice, "Where's the base?"

"What base?" the dying mercenary questioned.

Herja replied, "The base that's been sending out the distress signal. I know you know what I mean."

Breathing heavily the soldier replied, "Sanctum! It's on Sanctum...now could you please let me die in peace!?"

Nodding, Herja placed her hand on the man's chin, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry this had to happen."

Looking her in the eyes he replied, "Yeah. So am I."

She snapped his neck, ending his pain.

_Goddess have mercy on his wicked wicked soul._

Lt. Vorleon came up to her with the rest of the platoon and barked, "Sergeant, report! There's nothing left here! You better have found something useful or I'll-"

Sgt. Prour put him into a stasis field and reported, "The base is on Sanctum. We can get there in a day or less from where we are now. So if you'll excuse me sir, I'd like to get back to the ship and wash this man's blood off my hands."

With that, she simply left the room, leaving the entire unit smiling, laughing, and a few of them clapping.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pvt. Allen Ryan was in his quarters resting on his bed wearing the dark grey camouflage shirt and pants be bought on the Citadel. He was going over the events of the past two weeks over and over again in his head. One thought in particular kept coming to the forefront of his mind: Herja.

Before she asked him if he had feelings for her, if anyone else had asked him that question, he would have said no. Since it was the asari herself that had asked him that however, he had given the question serious thought. Ryan kept thinking over and over about it, and he had come to a conclusion: Yes, he did. And why not? She's smart, tough, kind, has a nice sense of humor.

_The fact she's absolutely gorgeous doesn't hurt either. _

Allen didn't know how this would affect their situation, but he knew it probably wouldn't help matters any.

Allen heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he said.

Herja walked in wearing a dark green robe, "Hello Allen."

Standing up Allen greeted, "Hey. How's your head?"

She stated in a very tired voice, "Goddess, it feels like it's going to implode. My fault for over using my biotics, I guess."

Allen asked pointing to the bed, "Would you like to lay down?"

"Goddess yes. Thank you," Herja answered as she laid down.

Sitting at his desk Allen asked, "So how can I help you? Usually I'm the one visiting you. "

Eyes closed she answered, "I'm actually here to discuss what happened between us on the Citadel."

Nodding he said, "Yeah. I was just thinking about that too."

His friend asked, "You were?"

"To answer your question, yes. Yes, I am interested in you. Romantically speaking."

Herja sighed but didn't look at Allen, "That's what I thought. And that is also part of the problem."

Staring at her Allen responded, "Problem? What do you mean?"

Opening her eyes and making eye contact she explained, "I'm not sure a relationship is a particularly good idea right now Allen. I will be honest, I like you, very much. You are a good man, a great soldier, and an incredible friend. Were the situation different, I probably would pursue this further. Only, I don't know if I should."

Looking down Ryan only said, "Oh."

Sitting up and putting her hand on his leg Herja reassured, "I am not telling you I do not accept. I am only telling you my thoughts on the situation. Would you please hear the reasons for my caution?"

Allen nodded and she continued.

"Allen, the lives we live are very dangerous ones. On any of the missions we have been on, we could have been killed. It would be bad enough for one of us to lose a friend. How bad would it be if we lost a lover as well?

"Another factor to consider is the future. You say that you will only be interested in sleeping with someone if you are in a serious relationship with them. Just how serious do you mean Allen?"

Ryan took a few seconds to consider his answer then replied, "Serious. As in, 'this could the one' serious. I never really saw a point in getting involved with another person if I knew it wouldn't go anywhere."

Herja nodded, "Exactly. Your species looks for permanent mates far earlier than mine looks for bondmates, and even then that is usually mainly for procreation rather than lasting companionship. You are looking for someone to share your life with, while I would mainly be looking for a companion to, well, _have fun _with."

Ryan inquired, "Have fun with? What does that mean?"

Composing herself she answered, "It means that I wouldn't be with you for even the rest of _your _life. At least that's the best way I can describe it," Sighing she clarified, "Most asari my age get in relationships that are mostly short term engagements lasting only a few years at most. Very few maidens are interested in settling down with a bondmate. It is not unheard of for someone my age to settle down and raise a family, but it would be the equivalent for a 20 year old human girl to marry and have a child. It's just very rare. I don't think I'm ready for that."

Allen said, "I'm not thinking marriage, house, and a lot of kids running around in a yard. I'm just-"

She raised a hand and continued, "I know that is not what you mean. Regardless, it is what you want from a mate. Correct?"

He nodded.

"I see. You understand now why I am so serious about this topic? I hope you can appreciate just how important this is. Not just for me, but for both of us."

Standing up from the bed she walked over to the door. Before she left she turned to face him and told him, "Again, I'm not telling you I do not accept. I am merely telling you why I may not. Regardless of my decision, I hope it will not affect our friendship Allen."

He replied, "Of course not. I completely understand."

Smiling to him, she said, "Yes, I believe you do. You have no idea what that means to me."She turned and left the room.

Allen sat back in his chair. _Great. I finally find someone I truly care about and she gives me the whole 'I hope we can still be friends' speech. _

_NO! That's not fair and you know it! She probably doesn't even realize how cliche that was. She was genuine, and you know she's right. _

Allen just went right to bed after that. He knew tomorrow would be difficult enough without thinking about his romance issues. They would be assaulting the Blue Suns base on Sanctum, and Allen was sure he would need all the energy he could summon. Tomorrow he would deal with this, assuming he wasn't dead.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The squad was once again assembled in the shuttle, checking their weapons and armor for any issues or problems that could get them killed. Herja looked over at Allen, who was just holding his helmet in his hand. Neither had said a word to the other since the discussion they had last night. She knew humans often let their emotions get the better of them and make them behave in ways they would not otherwise do. Herja only hoped Allen meant what he said about understanding. She just hoped that, no matter what happened, she would at least still have a friend when this was over.

Putting those thoughts elsewhere, she stood and addressed her squad, "Alright everyone, same drill as yesterday. Go in, kill some people, go home. Simple right?"

McCord asked, "Will we actually get some _support _when we hit the ground this time sarge?"

Looking at the corporal she answered, "The whole platoon is going in on this one. We don't have any other troops that can be here in time to really help us though."

Kerns asked,"Why don't we have any mechs on this run?"

Herja shook her head, "Don't know. I think because Eclipse still hasn't replaced all the ones Archangel took out yet. Anything else?"

The squad was silent.

Nodding Herja went to the door and spoke, "Good. Let's get to work."

The pilot announced, "Landing in 3...2...1! Go!"

The squad ran out of the shuttle and immediately took cover behind a series of rocks. Sgt. Pruor looked over the top and looked towards the base. The terrain was filled with rocks and small holes that could be used as cover. About 50 yards away was the enemy base. There were several sturdy crates that they would not doubt us as cover at the bottom of a ramp that lead to the entrance to the base if given the chance. Herja looked to the right and left to find the rest of her unit had arrived.

She asked her squad, "What have you got?"

Lee replied, "Nothing sarge, no targets. Wait...Movement! I've got movement!"

Several Blue Suns troopers began to run out of the base. Lee and other snipers managed to get a few of them, but most made it into cover and began to fire on the Eclipse troops' positions. The field was soon ablaze with fire from both sides.

Herja aimed down her sights on a target, fired several shots, and the hostile snapped backward. Herja saw a rocket trooper's helmet nearly explode as a round from a sniper hit him right between the eye holes.

It was at this moment Lee shouted, "I'm makin' a move! Cover me."

Herja looked to her right and saw Lee running out of cover toward a large cylindrical boulder, "Lee! You asshole, get back-"

She was cut off by a rocket explosion about three feet from where she was, knocking her over. Herja didn't know what was happening, or where she was for a moment. Everything around her was spinning. She couldn't hear, nor could she focus.

Then it all came back to her. She looked up and saw McCord, or what was left of him.

"McCord!" she screeched as she went over to where he had been only a few seconds ago. The rocket had sent half of his torso back several yards. His head was gone, and the rest of him was spread out over a 20 yard radius. Herja looked at her armor...she had blood on her. Red blood.

Now wasn't the time to cry, this was time for payback! She picked up her rifle and fired back at the enemy. She had taken out two more hostiles before she realized that many weren't shooting at her. She followed their guns to where Lee was taking cover.

He yelled back at his squad, "I said cover me! I can't fight like this!"

_I shouldn't, but I will. _

Herja ordered the squad to lay down cover fire for Lee, and the man went right to work. Aiming his rifle, he killed six hostiles inside eight seconds with just seven rounds! The rest of the defenders retreated back into the base to regroup.

Lt. Vorleon ordered the unit to pursue them. Lee charged into the base first without waiting for the rest of the platoon.

Herja ordered, "Goddess damnit Lee, wait for us!"

If the man had heard the order, he completely ignored it. He was the first Eclipse soldier in the base. The door led to a flight of stairs that in turn led to what appeared to be a sort of 'greeting' area. There were two flights of stairs that led to a front desk. These stairs were flanked by sturdy glass along the sides. A small wall of this separated the beginnings of the stares. A wall of this glass went off in both directions toward the opposite ends of the room.

As Herja chased Lee down the steps with her squad in tow, she told Lee once again to stop.

The man shouted back through his communicator as he reached the glass, "Sorry sarge, but-" was all he managed to say before seven shots went into his chest.

Herja screamed, "Medic!" as she sat down next to Lee. Mobutu came up behind her and examined his comrade.

He soon shook his head and said, "There is nothing I can do."

Herja grabbed his neck and pressed him to the glass, bullets bouncing off of it, her squad firing down on the Blue Suns on the lower levels.

"Now you listen to me, you will get back there and help that man! He's-"

"He is DEAD sergeant! The dead can not be brought back to life," Mobutu exclaimed as he took his rifle off the ground and took cover behind the glass.

He looked to her and said, "He was my friend, and I will miss him, but we still have a battle to win sergeant." He then fired over the top of the cover at the hostiles.

Herja felt a rage like nothing she had ever felt before. She looked to Lee's body with a mix of pity and hate.

_If you had listened to me you would still be alive you stupid fuck!_

She then picked up her own weapon and rejoined the battle. She stood up, put up a barrier, and picked her first target. She saw a heavy running across the floor. She aimed, fired, and his body hit the floor. She saw another rifleman moving about. She got him in her sights, _click click click, _she fired three rounds. His helmet had three new holes in it soon after. Herja killed five more enemies before she had to reload her weapon. She took cover as she did, dropping her barrier at the same time.

Allen marveled at her skill and luck, "Sarge, you are fucking magic! You never even got hit!"

She yelled back, "Shut up and keep firing!"

Herja looked through the glass. Most of the remaining Blue Suns had taken cover behind the desks in the lobby area. She needed to shout only one word: "Kerns!"

At the signal squad opened up and gave the heavy the time to fire the rocket. The enemies behind the desk were vaporized. The rest of the platoon quickly dispatched the remaining targets.

Sgt. Pruor rose up and yelled out, "Let's go," and ran down the stairs to the next part of the base. On the floor she spotted a man crawling away from her. She walked up behind him and put two rounds in his head. She didn't catch the temporary pause she gave the rest of her unit.

The room on the left of the stairs was a mess hall. It was empty, and they pressed onward through a tunnel that led deeper into the ground. Herja saw several enemies running into a room that seemed to be carved into the planet itself. Two turians attempted to slow her down. She just slammed them both into the wall of rock behind them. She stopped when she was about three feet from the door. Her squad was directly behind her, and the rest of the unit behind them.

She turned and addressed her troops, "I want fresh clips in every weapon. No telling what's on the other side of those doors."

Though she was only talking to her squad, the entire platoon followed her orders without hesitation, or her noticing. Herja and her squad entered the room and spread out. It seemed to be a storage area of some sort. There were crates everywhere, many with warnings of flammable material on them. There was a large column in the center of the white room, likely to keep the place from caving in. On the far end of the room was a large supercomputer that took up most of the room it was in.

Herja saw the room and smiled. _That's the target. Just get this done, then-_

A voice announced over the loudspeakers, "You're not leaving this place alive!" As the man speaking finished, two heavy mechs came to life from behind crates on the opposite side of the room. Several Blue Suns troopers also appeared from behind cover and opened fire.

Kerns, who was on Herja's left, was hit with several rounds and fell to the floor lifeless. The rest of the unit spread out and found cover where they could. Mobutu made the mistake of hiding behind a container with a warning label on it.

Herja screamed, "NO! Mobutu get out of there!"

Too late. A round penetrated the crate, and it exploded. Mobutu was thrown several feet back and hit the wall. He made no attempt to get up.

"AHHH!"

Herja looked at the mechs that were causing heavy casualties with every missile and spray of their machine guns. Herja looked and saw at least eight bodies of her comrades spread out already. Herja just aimed her rifle at the closest mech and fired until her clip went dry. Then another. And another. Fire from at least half the remaining soldiers went into that thing until it finally exploded, taking several explosive containers and a few Blue Suns with it.

Herja looked to Allen, who had take cover with her on her right, and let a triumphant sigh. One that was cut short by a rocket blast by the remaining mech. Herja and Allen both returned fire, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. They were running low on ammo, and needed a way to take that monster down.

Herja looked and spotted the last remaining heavy trooper, who was taking cover behind a crate to Heja's rear. She ordered through her communicator, "Soldier, get to my position."

He questioned, "What? I go out in that fire I'll get cut to shreds!"

"Then you better run fast. Now get over here or I'll _pull _you over!"

The heavy waited for the mech to stop firing and ran over to Herja's position. "Ok, now what?"

She pointed to the rocket launcher he had, "You got many more missiles in that thing?"

Holding it to his chest he replied, "Just one. Why?"

She asked him again,"Could you rig that thing to explode?"

Not believing what he had just heard, the man asked, "What? Yeah, but why would I do that?"

The asari sergeant pointed to the mech, "If that blows up under or near that thing, it should take it out. If not, we won't waste much anyway. Now do you think you can do that?"

The heavy nodded, "Yeah, but you're insane. You know that?"

She ignored the comment and ordered, "On my mark. Get ready."

Herja eyed the spot she would biotically charge to: the pole in the center of the room. It was made of solid stone and was in front of the mech. If there was a good place to take cover from an explosion here, that was it.

She shouted, "Now."

She sped across the room as fast as she could, the universe around her seeming to dissolve in a flash of blue light. As she reached her destination, she saw the heavy trooper tossing the launcher as far as he could, Ryan providing cover fire. Herja biotically assisted the weapon in finding it's target. It slid under the mech and exploded just as the machine looked down to see what it was. The combined yield created a bright, blinding light, and the room itself seemed to shake in awe. Herja looked out from cover and saw the enemy retreating to the room with the computer to make their last stand.

Allen looked over to Kerns body and had an idea of his own. He screamed, "Cover me!" before running out as fast as he could and settling down next to Kerns' body. Giving her a quick, apologetic glance, and picked her missile launcher. Allen aimed right for the giant supercomputer and fired. The rocket hit exactly where Ryan had aimed it. The machine exploded, sending shrapnel in all directions and killing everyone in the room.

Allen stood and threw the launcher aside, "Yeah! Get some!"

The remaining troops, maybe a dozen in total, came out of cover and cheered. This nightmare mission was over! Allen took off his helmet and put it under his left arm and walked over to Herja, a content smile on his face.

The asari herself smirked at him and stepped out from where she was hiding and moved over to Allen. _He is definitely a keeper. _

When they were about ten feet away, Allen's face changed however. His eyes widened. He ran to Herja yelling, "Get down!," as he shoved her to the side. Just as she was moved away, a round penetrated Ryan's armor right in his stomach, causing him to fall over.

Herja immediately looked behind her and saw a single surviving Blue Sun soldier with a Revenant. Herja immediately charged to where the man was laying. She grabbed his neck with one hand, and pounded his face with the other. She his hit over and over until his nose was broken and he had no more front teeth.

To finish him off she placed her hand right in front of his face and let out a blast of biotic energy. His head exploded, painting the floor with bits of brain and skull. Breathing heavily, Herja turned back to where Allen was. A single medic was addressing his injuries.

She ran over to him and asked, "He's gonna be ok, right? Right!?"

The salarian medic looked up and told her, "Condition critical. Must get him proper attention immediately."

Herja looked down and saw Ryan's face had lost all color. He looked as if he was dead already. _Goddess no, not him too!_

A stretcher was then brought in and the medic and another soldier carried Allen off. Herja wanted to go with them, but she simply couldn't move. Her body wasn't responding to her mind's commands. She just couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if she lost the last man in her squad.

_Rogers, Acris, Bufo, Dayton, Lee, Mobutu, Kerns, McCord, they're all gone. And now Allen...Goddess, please no. Not him too!_

Herja remained frozen and stood in that room for a very long time before leaving to check on her friend. She prayed to the goddess that at least _someone _from her squad would survive this.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Don't ask about this chapter, it just happened.

Chapter Eight: One night on Omega

**Three Weeks Later. Uncharted Planet, Terminus Systems. **

The Eclipse soldier ran. With heavy fire from the pirate base coating the ground and filling the air around him, he ran. Two heavy turrets placed atop the surface of the top of the underground base continued to fire, stopping only to reload. The top of the base was a grey fairly wide cylinder that had two large anti-aircraft batteries on the left and right of the turrets. The soldier looked ahead. The rest of the squad had already taken cover behind a ground vehicle large enough to withstand the storm of bullets pelting it. The heavy trooper and the sniper urged him on.

Soon he was just a few more yards away. The squad provided all the cover they could. Just a few more seconds and...a round from one of the turrets hit the soldier right in the chest.

"Medic!" the heavy trooper yelled as he dragged the fallen soldier behind cover.

The squad medic rushed to the fallen man's side only to say, "He's...he's gone."

The heavy just said in disbelief, "No. He can't be dead!," he knelt down beside the body shaking it, "Taylor. Damn it Taylor move!"

The sergeant scolded as he came up behind the large human, "Adams! I'm sorry, I really am, but you need to get your ass in gear right now!"

The heavy reluctantly took his weapon, aimed just to the right and behind where several batarian pirates were taking cover and fired. The all fell over or were thrown into the air.

The sergeant looked to the left of the squad to see the rest of the platoon taking cover behind a three story black square building. The asari lieutenant yelled into her communicator, "Ryan, what the fuck is going on over there? We were caught in the open with no cover. If that happens again, I'll kill you!"

Sgt. Allen Ryan replied, "Wilks is dead. If we get you covered, do you think you can get into that building?"

Lt. Herja Pruor screamed loud enough to be heard clear across the field, "What the FUCK do you think I needed that cover fire for!?"

_Ok, stupid question. _

Allen looked at his squad, now just consisting of himself and four other troops. Allen went back to them and ordered, "Parker, take out the turret on the left. Adams, the right."

Turning to his medic and sole surviving rifleman, "You two cover. Now!"

Parker, the squad sniper, immediately poked up and sniped head off the batarian pirate manning his designated target. At the same time Adams, the squad heavy, launched a missile at the other turret. It exploded, crippling both of the guns.

Silver, the squad medic, and Blake, the rifleman, assisted Sgt. Ryan is suppressing the pirates long enough for the rest of the platoon to get in the building on the left. Allen looked at the building and saw the last of the friendly troops enter, the door closing behind them. The enemy soon recovered and returned fire on Allen and his team.

Just as the pirates were about to regroup and fall back into the base, the rest of the Eclipse troops came to the roof of the snipers picked off the officers, the havies targeting the groups of enemies that had bunched up, and the remaining troops keeping the enemy pinned so they couldn't retreat into the bunker. Allen and his troops soon joined in, and with the combined fire from the full platoon the pirates were soon wiped out.

Allen heard Herja ask in his communicator, "Ryan, you think you could take that bunker?"

He yelled back, "You got it."

Allen motioned to his squad to move forward. They ran about 50 yards to the front of the building and stacked up at the door, Sgt. Ryan in the lead. The squad proceed down the stairs the door revealed and into the underground bunker. The first room at the bottom was largely empty, save for a few plants by the entrance. At the far end of the room was a door that Allen knew lead to the living quarters.

_Why is the layout of these places always the same?_

The soldiers entered the room to find seven batarian pirates that had their hands up. All of them were pleading not to be shot, that they were forced by to be here by their government, or some other excuse. The room itself was rather large considering it was underground. It had several bunk beds on one side of the room and had a series of tables and lockers on the other.

Allen ordered all the pirates to line up against the far wall, which was nothing but metal and a door leading to another area of the base. Most of them went with their arms up, but one had them just pressed against his chest.

Parker went over to him. "Hey, get your hands up. Completely."

The batarian smiled and laughed in a twisted voice, "Sure thing."

As the four eyed creature extended his arms upward, a grenade fell from his armpit.

Parker saw this and without hesitation dove on top of it as he yelled out, "Grenade!"

It soon exploded, causing his body to jump a foot above the ground. The other pirates seemed just as shocked as the Eclipse troops. Nobody seemed to move for several tense moments.

Leslie Blake, the female soldier with an assault rifle, was enraged. "You worthless animals! You sons a bitches," she screamed as she smashed in the face of the batarian who had hid the explosive. Once he was thrown back she unloaded her weapon into him. As soon as he was dead, she and the remaining troops turned their attention to the others. They pleaded they didn't know, but it didn't make any difference to the Eclipse troops.

Sgt. Ryan just watched as his three remaining soldiers emptied their weapons into the prisoners. Did he feel guilty? Did he feel like that was wrong? Didn't those batarians deserve mercy? Allen had seen what their kind did. Not just to humans, but to every species they came across. They enslaved, stole, raped, and killed without a moment's hesitation. As far as Allen was concerned, they got off easy.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the bunker was empty and cleared quickly afterward, and the squad headed up top to regroup with the others. Allen characteristically had his helmet under his arm and is rifle folded on his back as he lead the way out of the structure. As he stepped out of the building, he looked at the field before him. Several dozen humans and asari were sitting in front of the three story building being looked over by the platoon's medics.

Most of them were wearing ragged and torn clothing, and several of them looked unhealthily skinny, as if they hadn't eaten in days. Many of their eyes were blank and emotionless, obviously having been witness to the horrors batarians inflicted on prisoners. Some of the females had bruises on their faces and huddled together whenever anyone would come near them.

Herja was examining one of the weakest and youngest looking asari. She noticed Allen and headed over to him. When she got within ear distance she informed him that she and her troops had found them in the basement of the black building after Ryan and his team went into the bunker.

She looked away and was quiet for a few seconds, "There are others. Others that can't be moved without us hurting them," he looked back at him,"Others who probably won't make it."

Allen nodded, "Parker's dead. No prisoners were taken."

His lieutenant just nodded. "I've called the captain. He said he would arrive with the rest of the company and the Alliance troops once he was done at his outpost."

As they walked back to assist the soldiers looking after the group of newly liberated slaves Ryan asked, "Was it the same situation over there too?"

Herja looked straight ahead and answered, "Worse. 'No survivors on sight' was all the captain said."

Allen let the weight of that sink in. _No survivors. Well, at least it's over for them then. _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Eclipse Cruiser **_**David**_**, En rout to Omega**

Allen and his three remaining soldiers sat in the mess area of the ship looking at their trays of food. The room was brightly lit, the tables shiny and well polished. They had been sitting for a half hour, and no one had taken even one bite. The entire remaining unit was in the mess hall of the Cruiser _David. _The ship, like all Eclipse Cruisers, was of the same model as the _Norton. _They were all dressed in light yellow shirts that had the Eclipse logo on the front with matching colored pants.

This had been the third pirate base the company had raided in the last two weeks. The Alliance knew that the pirates had taken captives, which meant that simply obliterating the enemy from orbit was out of the question. That meant that this was a ground campaign from the start.

Their unit, Victor Company, had started with 127 troops plus 60 mechs and 4 gunships. The mechs had all been destroyed by the time the assault on the second base was complete and the gunships weren't able to be used because the main pirate bases always had anti-aircraft batteries. In total, the company had 47 soldiers killed in action the past two weeks. Allen had started out with a full squad of 10 including himself, now there were just four of them.

Pvt. Brian Adams, a large white man with a thick beard in his mid 20's, asked softly, "Why?"

Pvt. Nathan Silver, a tall, pale, and thin man with blond hair and blue eyes inquired "Why what?"

Cpl. Leslie Blake, a woman with blond hair, tan skin, and hazel eyes answered, "He means why was Taylor the one to die and not him."

Silver looked back at Blake and said, "There's no reason to ask yourself that. Taylor got hit because he got hit. It's just that simple."

Adams responded as he looked up at Silver, "Is that what I'm supposed to tell to his family? We grew up together back home. I was supposed to make sure he lived!"

Putting his hand up Silver defended, "Brian, I'm sorry. What do you want me to say? He was dead! I couldn't help him!"

Brian raised his voice, "That's bullshit and-"

Allen ended the argument by slamming his fists on the table, "Both of you, shut the fuck up! Do you think Taylor or Jake would want us arguing here like this?"

The two men fell silent. Allen spoke, "They were both damn good men, and I'll never forget them. But they are _gone_ now Brian. We have to accept that. Believe me, I know what it's like to lose somebody you care about, but you can't let it consume you."

Adams didn't say anything.

After a few seconds Allen got up and told his squad, "I'll see you all later. I'm not hungry right now." After putting his tray away, Allen walked around the ship in an effort to try to clear his head. He soon saw an officer still in his armor approaching and stiffly saluted, "Captain Delaney. Sir."

After he had been wounded Allen, Herja, and the rest of their unit had been transferred to Victor Company. Vorleon had been promoted to captain, given a new unit, and went off to raid the planet that the _Ter Alan _had been launched from. Ryan was still sending regular reports to the Shadow Broker and the planet Vorleon was going to attack had been warned. The last Ryan heard was the entire force his old CO took had been killed, not that he cared.

Allen and Herja had both been promoted upon arriving in the company two days after the assault on Sanctum. At first Allen was sure this would be the same situation as before. He was glad he was mistaken. Victor Company didn't act like most of Eclipse, they acted like an actual military unit. They attacked slaver bases, hunted down pirates, trained militia's on colony worlds, etc. This group actually did _good work. _Despite himself, Allen was proud to be a part of it, and he knew Herja felt the same way.

Both of them gave full credit to their commanding officer, Captain Delaney. A former Alliance marine, the captain was the paragon of soldiers as far as Ryan could tell. In every assault Ryan had been a part of, the captain was in the thick of the fighting. He had been wounded several times fighting right beside his men, and never gave a single order he wasn't prepared to carry out himself.

The captain returned the salute, "At ease sergeant."

They both took a casual stance and Delaney congratulated, "Damn good work down there Ryan. You and your platoon saved a lot of lives."

Allen nodded, "Thank you sir. I just wish we could have gotten there sooner."

The captain said in an understanding voice, "I know how you feel. I fought in the Anhur Rebellions. I was in your shoes back then; I saw a lot of horrible things at Sobek. But you have to remember the good you have done.

"We had no way of knowing where they were when we got the intel. We acted as quickly as we could. Besides, it was still a success. Over 50 captured slaves freed and over 100 pirates dead."

"What will happen to them now sir?" Ryan inquired.

Delaney sighed, "The Alliance is taking them back to Earth. The humans will be treated there while the asari are sending a ship to get their people. It'll be a long road to recovery, but they have a chance now thanks to your platoon.

"That is also brings me to something I just talked about with your platoon leader. I know your squad was the hardest hit in this operation, so I'm asking you if there's anything I can do to help your team."

Allen thought about this, "What exactly do you mean sir?"

"I mean is there something that you especially need right now."

"If I could get all my specialist positions filled, that would probably be best sir. If that's at all possible," Allen politely requested.

Delaney nodded, "Alright, I'll see what I can do. You'll get you replacements tomorrow when we dock on Omega."

Ryan flinched slightly at the name. Delaney took notice, "I know, I know. Look, When we get there, at least try not to think of the station like that. Go out and at least try to relax. We'll only be staying long enough to get all the people and supplies we need and we will be heading out again. Do you think you can do that?"

Allen responded, "I can try, sir."

"Glad you'll at least try. You're a good man Ryan, but you need to learn to relax a bit more. Keep that in mind," Delaney then walked past Ryan and towards the mess hall.

Allen continued on down the hallway and headed to the gym. He then came up with an idea on how he just might be able to relax for a while after all.

_I wonder if she likes to dance._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lt. Herja Pruor sat at her desk in front of her terminal dressed in her regular workout clothes. On the screen was another asari. She had blue skin that was a lighter tone than Herja's, green eyes and no facial markings. She was dressed in black commando leathers.

Herja questioned, "Are you _sure _they will get you armor?"

The asari on the screen answered, "Yep. The recruiter said as soon as I get assigned to a unit they'll give me my weapons and armor."

Herja pressed on, "But you still bought the items I told you, correct?"

The asari on the screen let out a long sigh, "Goddess _mom_, yes. I all bought the armor mods they had at Gateway Weapons. Even got myself one hell of a sniper rifle. Can't wait to use it!"

Herja voiced in concern, "I pray you _don't _have to use it Kara. The thought of you going into battle...I just want you to be safe. Ok?"

Laughing a bit Kara asked, "You really are gonna be my mother on this, aren't you?"

The lieutenant said, "I'm sure that Prima is absolutely terrified for you right now and would be saying exactly what I am were she here."

Giving a snort Kara responded, "Ha, yeah right. I don't think she cares where I am as long as I'm not home. She's always on me about 'finding work' or 'growing up.' Goddess I'm just so sick of her."

Distressed to hear what her friend just Herja asked, "I can't believe that. Prima was always so nice to you. Always. I can't believe she wouldn't care about her own daughter."

Kara said, "That time has passed Herja. She said she wanted me to become an adult, so I did. End of story."

"What did she have to say about your career choice?"

Kara said angrily, "She thought I wouldn't survive one day out here. Can you believe that? She tells me to grow up, but at the same time thinks I can't even make it on my own."

Looking at the asari on the screen Herja asked, "You didn't part on the best of terms, did you?"

Closing her eyes Kara replied, "No. We didn't."

Herja consoled, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Kara shrugged, "Doesn't matter now," she looked off to the side then returned her gaze back to her friend, "Look, I'm sorry but I've got to go."

Nodding Herja said, "Alright Kara. Take care of yourself out there. Please be careful."

With a smirk on her face Kara said, "You know me," she then turned off her monitor, ending the conversation.

Herja shook her head and said to herself, "Yeah. That's exactly why I'm worried."

The Eclipse officer then exited her room and headed for the gym. When she arrived she saw Allen was already there warming up for their usual sparring sessions. She walked over to where he was on the mats and began to stretch.

Allen asked, "Hey Herja."

"Yes," she replied.

"Do you like to dance?"

Surprised by the she asked him why he cared.

"Well, we're headed back to Omega, and," Allen rubbed the back of his neck and looked a bit nervous, "I was wondering if you might want to go to a club or something."

Herja smiled. After Allen had recovered from his injuries on Sanctum, she had told him she would like to at least like to try to have something with Allen. She knew it was probably doomed, but in life you have to at least try to make the most of your situation.

The asari Lt. responded with a smile, "I'd love to."

Allen's face lit up immediately, "Great!"

His face looked more serious as he asked, "Did you mean what you said down there though? About killing me?"

Taking her own stance the asari replied, "Of course not. I was only saying that to keep the rest of the platoon focused. You would have to really fuck up for me to kill you."

The two spent the next hour sparring. Though he never lasted more than a minute against her, Herja had to admit that he was improving.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**The next day. Omega**

As soon as the _David _arrived on Omega the crew that had shore leave immediately left the ship. Allen was dressed in a red shirt and a black leather jacket with black pants as he walked up to Herja's room. He knocked for permission to enter and upon hearing her tell him to come in he went through the door.

His eyes immediately went to his platoon leader's body. Herja wore a backless top which clung tightly to her chest and left most of her stomach bare. She wore tight black shorts that gave Allen a spectacular view of her strong, muscular legs.

Herja caught him staring and teased, "Enjoying the view?"

Reddening only slightly this time Ryan smirked and nodded, "You better believe it. Come on, we only have one night here. We better make it count."

The two left the ship and walked onto the station. The air was slightly foul with the smell of decay, from both waste and dead bodies. The streets were packed with people moving in every direction, and few paid any attention to the homeless people that sat on the side of the street.

Allen was surprised how little he reviled at the familiar skyline. As he and Herja walked down the busy street Allen was actually at peace with noticed the calm, almost placid look Allen had and asked if he was OK.

He looked her in the eye and said honestly, "Yeah. I am. I thought I would hate it here but...it doesn't really bother me. What happened to me wasn't that long ago, but it seems like a lifetime, you know?"

Herja said in an understanding tone, "I think so. I'm glad that the past is at least won't ruin the evening."

The two proceeded to the club Afterlife. There was an elcor bouncer standing guard to make sure no disruptive types entered. Other than them, most could freely enter and leave the club as they wished. Allen and Herja walked through crowded red lit tunnel into the main room of the club. Loud, thundering music filled the atmosphere. Barely decent pole dancers on the stage drew the attention of the dance floor was packed full of people from all races.

Allen gestured to the dance floor, "Shall we?"

Herja burst out laughing and dragged him onto the floor, "I didn't know you knew how to dance Allen."

He replied as they began to enter the crowd, "I can't. I was hoping you could give me some _hands on _instructions."

Herja put her hand to her face and shook her head in disbelief, "That was the worst...I don't even know what that was."

Allen shyly smiled and talked over the loud music, "A very bad attempt at humor and something else I guess. Seriously though, I really can't dance. I was just gonna do what everyone else was doing."

Herja sighed, "Oh Goddess, come here!"

She then grabbed him and pulled Allen close to her as they entered the dance floor, "Put your arms out like this," she commanded as she moved his arms back and forth across his chest.

She commanded him, "Just keep moving your arms like that and move your legs how you want without tripping someone, and you won't look like an idiot."

Allen nearly had to shout to get her attention, "That's it? That's easy, and worse it's a pretty stupid way to dance!"

Herja grinned and yelled back, "I don't know who the idiot was who invented it, but somehow it's pretty popular right now. Besides, don't worry about looking stupid. Everyone knows humans can't dance anyways!"

Letting out a chuckle, Allen went through the motions Herja showed him. Soon he had established a rhythm and began to enjoy himself. The music played a mix of what sounded like music from roughly 200 Earth years prior. Though it was not the best 'music' Allen had heard, it did take his mind off of his life for a little while.

Soon his eyes returned to Heja, and Allen found it very hard to look away. Her arms were over her head, her body swaying from side to side revealing her full curves. Her eyes were inviting him to come closer. Ryan stepped up to her, their bodies inches away. He moved his hands around her sides and hips, and moved so that his face was always close to hers.

After dancing like this for a while Herja suggested as she moved to within an inch of Ryan, "Want a drink?"

Allen nodded and followed her to the nearby bar, which was thick with humans and asari patrons. Herja told the turian bartender for the best drink they had that humans could drink. A glass filled with some type of brown liquid was placed in front of where Allen was standing.

Allen asked over the music, "What? You're not drinking?"

The asari just shook her head, "I've got to get back to the ship. Sorry."

Ryan protested, "What? Why? We just got here."

"The captain wanted me to help him with making sure we are getting everything we need."

Allen questioned, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Herja told him simply, "You wouldn't have gotten off the ship if I didn't agree to this."

Any enjoyment that Allen was having was destroyed at the comment.

Herja noticed his mood and reassured him, "Look, it was a good idea. I had fun. If I could stay longer I really would."

Allen nodded and started towards the exit, "Ok, lets go."

Herja stopped him by putting a hand on his chest, "Oh no. I said I needed to get back, not you too."

Allen opened his mouth, but she cut him off, "As your superior, I _order _you to stay need this just as much as any of us. Who knows when we'll get another chance like this?"

Allen made no argument this time and shook his head, "Why does everybody think I'm so up tight?"

Herja looked at him with concern, "Of all the people in the company, you're the one that I worry about the most. Take some time to relax Allen, you've earned it."

She kissed him on the cheek and walked out the door. Allen watched her leave, then just stood at the bar.

_Great. Now what?_

"Was that your bondmate?"

The question came from an asari standing to Allen's left. She was dressed in light armor, had light violet skin, and had blue eyes.

Allen shrugged and answered, "More like girlfriend. We're still getting a feel for each other."

T

he asari nodded, "I know what you mean," she extended her hand and introduced herself, "Liselle."

Allen shook her hand, "Sgt. Allen Ryan."

The asari finished the blue liquor she had in her hand, put the glass on the counter, and asked, "Sergeant? Are you in the Alliance?"

"Eclipse," Ryan clarified.

"Are you new to the station? I've never seen you here before," Liselle inquired.

Ryan replied, "Actually no. I grew up here."

"Then how come you've never been to Afterlife before?"

Before any further conversation could take place a man in light armor at the bar yelled out at the turian bartender, "Now you listen to me you spikey cat...bird...thing! You are gonna refill my glass and-"

Liselle rushed over to the man, "Paul! Stop this, you're making a scene."

Paul, a tall and thin man with dark hair, stepped back a bit at Liselle's grasp but stumbled back a bit, "He said I've had enough. I decide when I've had enough."

The turian explained, "He's had five drinks already and has been insulting everyone he sees ma'am. If he keeps this shit up, I'm calling security."

Liselle urged Paul, "Come on, lets get out of here before you do something really stupid."

Just as they started to leave, Paul tripped on his own feet. Liselle tried to get him back up on her own, but simply couldn't. Allen, feeling sorry for the asari for having to deal with this man, helped her get him up.

Once Paul was back on his feet Liselle said to the Eclipse soldier, "Thank you. I know it is a lot to ask, but would you mind helping me get him back to his apartment?"

R

yan opened his mouth to speak but the asari pleaded, "Please? It's not too far, and I don't think I can get him there alone. I'll drop you back off wherever you need to go."

Allen looked at the man. His eyes were glowing, and Allen knew what that meant. He didn't know these people, and this man was an asshole and a drug addict, but the asari seemed nice, and it wasn't like he had anything better to do now anyway.

"Sure," was Allen's answer.

Liselle looked like an elcor had been taken off her shoulder at the news, "Thank you _so_ much. My car is nearby, so we won't have to carry him that far."

"No problem," Ryan responded as he and Liselle carried the drunken man out of the bar.

None of them saw the asian man with the orange insignia on his chest follow them out of the club.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Herja was furious, "What do you mean we aren't getting any mechs!?"

She was standing in the shuttle bay of the cruiser, which was large enough so that several shuttles full supplies or people could be brought in at once. Many other soldiers were unloading crates of supplies from shuttles that were constantly coming and going. She had changed out of her casual outfit and had put on the 'off-duty' yellow shirt and pants that Eclipse issued out. She was talking to a very young and scared looking human worker who had just told her that the mechs they had been promised weren't going to arrive.

"What's going on here?" Captain Delaney asked as he walked up to where Herja and the human man.

Herja ordered the human to tell Delaney just what he had just told her.

The human swallowed hard and reported, "It seems there was an issue with the last group of mechs that was made. They overran the ship they were on and it crashed into a planet in the Amun system."

The captain asked what kind of an issue this was.

The human continued, "Some kind of a problem with the targeting matrix. They all recognized the crew of the freighter as hostiles. This isn't the first time such issues have been reported with these mechs. The Council has ordered an investigation, but until the issue has been resolved, no new mechs will be produced."

The captain nodded in understanding, "Meaning we don't get any more mechs."

The human man said in a timid voice, "Exactly. I'm very sorry about this sir. Please don't kill me!"

Delaney reassured him, "It's not your fault kid. Don't worry about it."

The man took off running after hearing those words. Herja asked her CO, "What now, sir?"

"We do what we've been doing: missions the Alliance needs done but can't or won't do themselves."

Herja nodded but pressed on, "Sir, fighting without mechs is like fighting without armor. We'll get slaughtered out there with no support."

Delaney countered, "Maybe, but you remember the casualties we suffered when we lost control of that heavy mech when we went after Archangel?"

Herja paled when she was reminded of that day.

Delaney nodded, "I'm glad you understand. I don't like it either, but it's probably a good thing they went rogue on that transport rather than on the battlefield. Terrible as it sounds, it probably saved all our lives, even if at the cost of someone else theirs."

Herja regained her composure, "Yes sir, is that the last issue?"

Delaney retorted, "Almost. See that shuttle?" the captain asked pointing to a newly arriving ship. Herja nodded. "That's the last of our replacements now. I want you to make sure Sgt. Ryan gets a biotic, tech specialist, and a sniper. Divide the rest up among your platoon as you see fit."

"Yes sir," Herja saluted just before she turned to face the newly arriving troops.

When she turned and saw one particular asari getting off however, her heart nearly stopped. The asari was wearing a black leather commando outfit similar to the one Herja had been given. She was a lighter shade of blue than Herja, had no facial markings, was nearly as tall as Herja, and had green eyes. On her back was a brand new Viper sniper rifle folded on her back.

_Oh dear Goddess, why? NO! Not her, not here. Please please please not-_

The asari noticed the LT and immediately ran towards her screaming, "By the Goddess! Herja!"

Lt. Pruor was soon enveloped in a massive and tight hug by the replacement, which Herja soon returned.

_Kara. _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Allen sat in the passenger seat of the skycar while Paul was in the back passed out and Liselle piloted the vehicle. It had been a few minutes since they had left the club parking lot and no one had said much since.

Feeling a desire to talk to his driver Allen asked, "I've been off the station for a bit. Has anything new or important been happening?"

The asari replied, "Important? Probably not, but a few new things have happened."

"Like what?"

Liselle answered, "For starters a new gang calling themselves the Talons decided to take over the drug trade when so many of your people died fighting Archangel. I just had to um, _deal with _some of them today with Paul back there."

Allen nodded, "Interesting. Do you mind if I ask you something a bit more ...personal?"

Liselle looked over briefly before turning her attention back to driving, "Depends on the question, but ask away."

Allen looked at Paul then back to Liselle, "I've met a lot of interesting people in my time. I have seen good and bad things happen to good and bad people. Some of the stories I've heard just plain astound me. Robot starships from outside the galaxy coming to kill us, dead spectres fending off collector attacks on human colonies, you get the idea."

Liselle commented, "There wasn't a question in that."

Ryan held up his hand, "I'm getting to that. What I mean is that although I can believe some pretty crazy things, one thing I can't believe is that a T'Loak would care about some racist mercenary with a red sand addiction. How exactly did this happen if you don't mind my asking?"

The driver looked over to Allen. He said with a smile on his face, "Yes, I know who you are. Don't worry, I won't hold your lineage against you."

Liselle looked back to the front of the vehicle, "How did you know?"

"You look and sound just like your mother. Plus an asari in armor in afterlife not guarding the penthouse over the stage? You definitely weren't the average asari."

Relaxing a bit Liselle spoke, "To answer your question he showed up on the station not too long ago. I was actually ordered to kill him when my mom couldn't find anything on his past. I managed to talk her out of killing him, and we became close after that.

"He's actually not a bad guy if you get to know him. Sure, he's not perfect, and some of his views toward non-humans don't sit well with me, but he's got good in him too. He has a daughter. Her name is Gillian. She has some kind of condition with her mind, Paul won't talk about it. He loves her deeply."

Allen asked, "Is his daughter going to see him like this when we get to the apartment?"

Shaking her head Liselle replied, "No. Thankfully his child lives with a friend of his named Kahlee. I hope very much one day to meet his daughter. Maybe one day even, well..."

Allen continued for her, "Maybe one day be her mother."

"Yes."

They soon arrived at the apartment and Allen and Liselle carried Paul out of the car, through the door, and down the hallway until they reached the correct door. The three entered the apartment. Immediately on the left was a neat kitchen complete with a full assortment of knives, pans, and other utensils. Further down on the right was just a bed laid out in the open with dressers several feet beyond it against the far wall. On the left was a living room with two couches and a vid screen.

"Come on Paul, just abit more," Liselle said to her now barely conscious boyfriend.

"Agh, yeah," Paul said as he finally began to walk to his bed.

"Good, you're awake," a voice said behind them.

The three turned to see an asian man wearing an all black outfit with an orange insignia on the chest.

"I was worried I wouldn't get a chance to talk to you before I killed you," the man said.

"Kai Leng," Paul growled out.

"You know him?" Liselle asked as she, Allen, and Paul took fighting stances facing their new guest. None of the humans noticing the asari pushing a few buttons in her omni-tool to call for help.

"Yeah, he used to be a _problem solver _back at my old job," Paul admitted.

Smiling Kai said, "The boss sends his regards."

Leng then drew a katana and charged straight at the trio. In seconds he was within striking distance and took an upward swing at Paul, which the drunken mercenary easily avoided. Liselle biotically punched Leng in the face, causing him to stumble back two feet. Allen, Paul, and Liselle surrounded Leng, careful not to get too close.

Chuckling, Leng said, "Now this is gonna be fun."

Turning to face Liselle, the assassin fired a dart out of a wrist mounted launcher. It hit her on her neck and she immediately started to sway about the room. Paul raced over to catch her, only to be attacked. The sword came within an inch of where he was heading, but he backed away just as it was about to cut him in half. Ryan charged and knocked Kai to the ground and punched him in the face several times before Leng eventually caught his arm and threw him off.

Standing up Allen asked Paul as he checked on Liselle, "She OK?"

The mercenary came to Allen's left as he answered, "She's out cold, but still breathing."

The Cerberus hit man said in an ice cold voice, "Don't worry, I won't kill her till I'm done with you two. I'll take my sweet time with her."

Paul shouted, "You lay one hand on her I'll skin you alive!"

Tilting his head to the side a bit Leng retorted, "Big words from a man who's never done anything but fail. You failed Cerberus, you failed that asari whore, and you're about to fail you're daughter."

"Leave her out of this!" Paul screamed as he charged Leng in a fit of rage.

"NO! Don't!" Ryan tried to reason, only too late.

Leng stabbed Paul straight through the chest as soon as he was close enough. He fell to the floor as Leng removed his blade from his latest victim.

"And you failed to give me the slightest pleasure ending you. Fucking useless Grayson," Leng then turned to Allen, "Not gonna try and run?"

Allen shook his head. "Too bad. It's easier to kill a coward."

Leng dropped his blade, took a fighting stance, and slowly advanced on Allen.

Ryan took several notes, and clearly this wasn't the best assassin in the business. First, he had let go of his weapon for no reason. This was clearly a sociopath, not a rational person. Second, the weapon was using a sword, not a gun. A fucking sword! Who did that? Third, he wasn't using a correct stance. His legs kept crossing and his arms could easily be crossed and pinned to his body by any real fighter.

The only reason that he had taken Paul out was he was drunk and charged him like an idiot. Liselle probably could have killed him by herself, but he had gotten lucky and knocked her out with that dart. Though Ryan had no formal training in hand to hand combat, he was confident he could kill the wannabe badass.

Allen took a stance and waited. Soon Leng punched and stepped toward the Eclipse soldier. Ryan stepped to the side as he deflected the blow. Leng turned around and let out several kicks, all of which Ryan easily deflected. He countered these attacks with several punches of his own. Leng tried but failed to stop several punches to his face and gut. Leng stumbled back with his hands on his face, his lip bleeding.

He leaped forward and tried to tackle Allen's legs, but his arms were blocked and Allen kicked his straight in the face, breaking his nose. Leng was on the ground now, covering his face. He was able to get up after a few seconds and looked around.

_Where are you?_

Leng soon got his answer. As he turned to face Paul's body he saw his own sword coming straight at him. The blade went right through his neck, killing him instantly. Allen watched as his head slid off his shoulders and blood spurt from his neck, some of it landing on Allen's shirt. Allen dropped the weapon and went to where Liselle was laying. She was just starting to regain consciousness.

Allen asked, "Are you alright?"

Before she could answer Allen heard a very familiar, loud, and _mad _voice yell, "Get away from her you BASTARD!"

In moments Allen was engulfed in blue light, thrown across the room, and was pinned against the wall by none other than Aria T'Loak, Queen of Omega. She seethed from her clenched teeth, "Who are you? Who sent you? Tell me and I might make your death quick!"

Allen saw a dozen asari commandos filling the room and examining the bodies. Allen knew he was doomed.

_Always knew I'd die on this station. _

"Mother! Don't!"

Aria turned her head but didn't tighten her grip as Liselle walked up behind her supported by one of Aria's bodyguards.

"Mother, please don't. He saved my life. He...he tried to save Paul's."

An asari looking at Paul's body then yelled out, "Ma'am, this one's still alive!"

Liselle immediately ran to her lover's body. Aria dropped Allen but warned him not to move.

"Paul," Liselle cried as she sat down next to him.

Paul choked a bit on his own blood before he uttered, "So...Sorry."

Liselle had tears in her eyes now, "For what?"

Just barely composing himself enough to talk, Paul said, "For not being honest with you. Can you do something for me?"

Near hysteria, Liselle cried out, "Anything!"

"Take care of my daughter. She's with my friend at Grissom Academy. She'll like you."

Paul went limp. Liselle sobbed over her dead lover's body. She promised through her cries, "I promise, Paul. I promise."

Aria went over to Allen and asked pointing to Leng's body, "You really killed that Cerberus fucker on the floor?"

Allen nodded.

"Good. I'll have one of my girls to take you home. I owe you one," she held up a finger and stated, "Just one. Got it?"

Allen replied, "Got it," and headed to Liselle. He just put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed tightly. Words meant nothing in times like these. He knew that better than most. She looked up at him and gave a nod and a sad smile. No words were needed to convey the message she sent.

_Thank you. _

A/N: Wow, this is my longest chapter yet. Probably the longest chapter that will appear in this story too. I hope you all enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Welcome to the squad.

Lt. Herja Pruor and Pvt. Kara S'Vipul were sitting across from each other on a table in the mess hall of the ship. It was late relative to the time on the ship, and most of the crew were either in their quarters or at least settling down in a lounge area. Herja had taken a few asari beers from one such room and had insisted that she and Kara go to a quiet area of the ship to catch up.

Herja asked in a clearly scared tone, "Kara, what in the name of the Goddess are you doing here?"

If Kara noticed Herja's tone at all, it didn't seem to bother her. She just took a sip of her beer and answered, "Like I said, I needed a job. I was on Illium and I met this one girl who just got in. She said that they made good money," Kara put up her hand so her palm was facing Herja, "and I shit you not, this is what she said Eclipse does. 'We go around the galaxy shooting up bad guys...and stuff.'

"I remembered that these were the same people that you joined up with, so I figured if you could do it, why not me?"

Herja asked, "There wasn't any work available back home?"

Kara shook her head, "No. Most places were actually laying people off. The jobs that _were _available I needed to be at least a century older to work at."

Lt. Pruor persisted, "I managed to find wo-"

Kara cut her off angrily, "No, you applied to one job one time because you were bored waiting for the waitress to bring you back your credit chit! I applied to I don't even know how many places all over the city. My mom kept hounding me to find work. I kept telling her I was trying, but she wouldn't listen.

"Mom even started taking money out of my account towards the end. She said it was time I started 'paying up.' I heard that you were making a lot of money and it that it was pretty easy. So, here I am. Ready, willing and able."

Herja felt her stomach churn, "Please tell me you didn't join Eclipse because of my influence."

Taking another gulp of her beer Kara shook her head. When she finished she said, "Of course not. They were just the first group I came across that I could get into. If there was some other band looking for new people and I had found them first, I would have gone to join them."

Herja commented, mostly to herself, "I wish you had done that."

Finishing the last of her beer Kara asked, "Why?"

Herja asked her in a tone that slightly unnerved Kara, "You...you haven't killed anyone yet have you?"

Laughing uncomfortably at that Kara replied, "Not yet. Why? Concerned sweet, little, and innocent Kara is going to turn into a hardened killer?"

"Yes. That is exactly what I'm worried about. The only bigger concern that I have is that you could get killed. It's not a very safe job we have out here Kara!"

Kara only smiled at Herja's obvious worry, "You know _your _mom would definitely be telling you-"

"Do _not _use that tactic on me Kara!" Herja nearly exploded.

She looked at the look on her friend's face and apologised, "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that," taking a breath Herja asked, "How is mom anyway?"

Smiling Kara reported, "She's good. Really wishes you would call more often though. She worries about you _almost _as much as you worry about me."

"And dad and Rota?"

Kara stated, "Your dad couldn't be more proud. Every message or vid-call you send back always has him hoping it's about some new conquest of yours. Rota's, well, Rota. School ends soon, and if she can stop getting into fights long enough to finish the term, then she may actually be able to graduate the second tier this year."

Herja chuckled, "Good luck with that happening."

Kara grabbed Herja's still unopened beer and commented as she opened it, "She told me to tell you, if I ever saw you out here, to hurry up with that souvenir you promised her."

"I'm working on it. Giving a 45 year old maiden with anger management issues a gun I loot from some dead guy probably isn't a good idea."

Kara nodded in understanding as she took another sip of what was now her drink.

The officer suggested, "Maybe if we can get some leave we could go back together? I'd love to see home again."

"Sure. But not before I get a chance to put that sniper rifle I got to some real use," Kara eagerly agreed.

Before Herja could respond, Allen walked past them in the hall. His jacket and shirt were covered in a light layer of blood and his clothes were slightly ripped.

Herja saw this and shrieked, "Allen? By the Goddess, what happened to you?"

Ryan stopped, rolled his shoulders and tilted his head back, "Herja, I've had a long night. I'll tell you whatever you want to know tomorrow, but for right now can I please just go to bed?"

Herja replied, "Yeah, good night Allen."

As soon as he was out of hearing range Kara asked, "Who's that sorry son of a bitch?"

Herja looked at her friend and revealed, "Sgt. Ryan. Your squad leader."

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Allen lay on his bed. He had showered and changed into his under armour and was about to fall asleep when his omni-tool began to ring. He groaned and brought the hologram up to his face. When he saw who the caller was he quickly woke up and cleared his throat.

"Can I be of assistance Shadow Broker?"

A deep and obviously synthetic voice came from his device, "Yes. I know you were involved on an incident on Omega tonight. Care to clarify just what exactly happened?"

Allen had never talked directly to anyone on the Broker Network before. The only other time any audio communication had been received by him was about 10 days prior when the Network temporarily went offline. The Broker had quickly re-established communication and assured the entire organization that everything was "under control", but something told Allen that something was _different _with the Broker now.

For starters just a few hours after communication had been restored he had received instructions to pass along any new technology directly to the Broker, with special attention to be given to anything with unknown origins. That wasn't all. The target of every Eclipse raid that Allen had reported had been warned, the attackers always being fought off. There was something going on now, Ryan was sure of that. What he didn't know was _what _or _why._

"With respect sir, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

The voice replied, "You will find that I have a very open mind agent, now report."

It took the better part of an hour to properly explain exactly what happened. The story itself was over rather quickly, but the Broker kept asking questions. Such questions included who was there, who the assassin was, and why he was there. The Broker asked the agent several times if he was sure Aria herself said she 'owed him one.'

"Sir I can assure you that is what she said. Her exact words were: 'I owe you one. Just one.'"

"Interesting. Good work agent. You will find a sizeable bonus for this...unexpected opportunity. Shadow Broker out."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Allen laid back onto his bed. He was asleep as soon as he hit the pillow. He had a long night indeed.

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**0630. Eclipse Cruiser **_**David, **_**Somewhere in space.**

The company was assembled in the briefing room. The veteran soldiers were dressed in their armor with their helmets on the desks in front of them. The replacements, 30 in total, wore whatever clothes they had brought with them to the ship; they had yet to be issues any equipment. Captain Delaney stood at the front of the auditorium with a holographic projection on a planet in front of him.

The officer spoke loudly enough for the entire unit to hear him, "This is Tarith. It's a desolate little rock in the Crescent Nebula. Alliance Intelligence has intercepted several Blood Pack radio signals originating from a base on the planet indicating the Blood Pack are preparing for a major offensive. We don't know if it will originate from this planet or not, but our orders are to shut down whatever those pirates are planning and recover all the intel we can. Questions?"

Allen raised his hand, "What do we know about the Blood Pack base?"

"It's located on the surface of the planet somewhere. Strength of enemy positions is unknown. Assume the worst with Blood Pack."

_Like I didn't already know that._

Allen pressed on, "How many mechs will we be bringing?"

Delaney hesitated for a moment before informing his company, "None."

The entire room filled with the raising voices before the captain settled them all down, "There was a problem with the mechs we were supposed to get. They were targeting everything that moved. Until we get new mechs, we'll just have to make do."

Nobody said anything. They all knew no mech support meant that the attack would probably suffer Very heavy losses.

After a few moments the captain announced, "If there are no other questions, then prepare for the assault. Replacements, your assigned units are up here on this data pad," Delaney said holding up the piece of technology.

Allen walked out of the room with his helmet under his arm next to Herja. "Can you believe this? No mechs, Blood Pack, no intel, and to top it all off: more than one in four of us have zero combat experience. Fucking beautiful."

Herja chided as they proceed to the armory, "Are you done? Because I have bigger worries on my mind right now."

"Like what?"

Herja stopped and turned to face Ryan, "Kara."

"What about her?," Ryan pressed as he and Herja stood up against a wall to allow the rest of the unit to move past them.

Herja told Allen with a very scared look in her eye, "I'm...I'm just worried about her. I...I grew up with her back home. Our parents served in the Guard together. She's...she's like a sister to me," Herja trailed off.

Allen put his hand on her shoulder, "Look, I will do everything in my power to keep her safe. I won't make a promise I can't keep, but I _will _do everything I can for her."

Herja nodded back to her friend, "I know Allen. That's why I put her in your squad." She looked up at him with a fierce determination in her eyes, "But if she...she doesn't come back...I'll kill you. Slowly."

He knew she meant it. He only nodded and the two headed toward the armory.

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Pvt. Kara S'Vipul stood in the shuttle bay of the ship wearing her newly issued Eclipse armor holding her new sniper rifle in her hands. The entire company was gearing up for the assault on the Blood Pack base. The atmosphere was toxic, so all personnel had to wear helmets or in her case a breather mask that covered her face.

She was surrounded by the rest of her squad, consisting of four humans and one salarian. All of them were fully armed and armored with their helmets by their feet. She couldn't wait to finally show everyone what she could do!

Her sergeant stepped into the middle of their cluster, "We have some time before we attack, so why don't we take some time to get to know each other?" Pointing to her he asked, "Why don't you start?"

Grinning Kara happily told her squad, "I'm Kara S'Vipul. I grew up on Sanves and I'm here to well, make money."

Allen asked in disbelief, "That's it? Why don't you elaborate a little more?"

Shrugging Kara clarified, "Well I'm 60 years old and finally out of my mom's house. I have no college education and it was either this or strip in some bar someplace. Every asari has lethal biotics, might as well use them right?" she asked in a cheerful attitude.

Allen pointed to the salarian and he stepped forward. "I'm Mork Talis and I really am just here for the money."

As a few laughs died down he clarified, "I'm 22 years old, my clan has little political power, and I've not really accomplished anything in my life. If I want a good reproduction contract I'll need money."

Kara let out sarcastically, "Don't salarians think about anything besides breeding?"

The rest of the squad got a real kick out of that. They soon introduced themselves and why they were here.

Adams as a former football player from Bekenstein that wanted to join the Alliance, but was refused when some 'minor trouble' he had with the law came to light. Eclipse accepted him, and he had been in the group for about a month. Silver was a man from Earth who came from some small town on Earth. He couldn't get into college and had few job opportunities back home. Eclipse sounded like a good job, so he joined up. He had been in for as long as Adams.

Blake was a woman from the Citadel whose husband was killed when Sovereign attacked. They had a son and she needed a reliable, well paying job. She had been an Eclipse soldier for about a 3 months, and had her mother taking care of her child. She had been in Victor Company longer than anybody except the captain himself.

Kara asked why that was. Blake told her, "Victor Company always gets the worst assignments. Most people don't last six weeks before they transfer out or get killed in action. Only reason I'm still a corporal is that I know if I accept a promotion to sergeant I'm dead."

Though she was distressed to hear this, Kara was undaunted. She would not just survive, she would thrive! She would show that bitch back home she _could _make it one day on her own! Soon sirens began ringing and Ryan shouted, "Everybody to the shuttle!"

Kara put on her breather as the rest of her squad put on their helmets. She took a seat in the shuttle and checked her weapon again. She breathed in and out very slowly to calm herself down. _This is it. This is really happening. _

The shuttles carrying the troops left the ship and headed towards the planet.

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Sgt. Ryan looked at his team in the shuttle as the transport entered the atmosphere, with special attention being given to his new sniper. Allen knew of all his people, she and his new tech specialist were the most likely to die. He had to take special care with this one. It was not that Allen feared death, it was the thought that Herja would lose someone close to her. He would not let that happen.

The sergeant stood from his seat and announced, "We're going up against the most dangerous gang in the Terminus people, so listen up. Vorcha only go down in there's a hole in their chest the size of their head, and Krogan only die if both their hearts or their brain is destroyed. Try to get as many headshots as possible. If you even think there's a _possibility _that a body isn't dead yet, put a few dozen rounds into it. "

Allen looked at the replacements, "You two, stay with me at all times. No exceptions. Understand?"

Both of them nodded, the asari with a smile on her face. _God, I think she's actually enjoying this._

The pilot called out, "Landing in 10!"

The squad lined up at the door, weapons ready. When the shuttle hit the ground, Allen lead the squad out the door. They all took a kneeling position and took a look of the surrounding area. In the distance he could see a mountainous looking terrain, and several large rocks lay directly in front of him. A thick fog of chlorine mad seeing anything more than 30 or 40 feet in front of you impossible. Allen looked at his HUD, and it was barely picking up his squadmates.

_Great. I can hardly see in this helmet already, now the map doesn't work too?_

He looked to his left and saw the rest of the company had landed, with his platoon on the right flank. Captain Delaney, who was distinguished by the holographic armor his suit had, ordered Allen's platoon to take point. Sgt. Ryan stood and motioned for his team to follow him. Up ahead was an opening in what appeared to be a literal wall of rock. The platoon pushed through the hole, Ryan's squad on the left.

The platoon soon came upon the remains of what appeared to be a row of metal poles coming up from the ground. They were roughly 8 feet tall, silver in color, and seemed to stretch on into the mist as far as the unit could see.

A soldier spoke up, "What's this?"

The new tech specialist from Allen's squad answered as he inspected a pole, "It's a plasma fence. They're mostly used on farm keeping animals inside their pens. Why would these be here though?"

Allen thought out loud, "Maybe to keep the vorcha from getting lost?"

The unit moved forward. Soon the path they were on began to narrow. Instead of being able to move all in a line they had to move with only one squad being able to spread out as they walked. The walkway was also now made more constraining by the fact that they were boxed in by the walls of rock that were getting bigger as they went. Allen had a very bad feeling about this.

Soon they made a new discovery: bodies. In the middle of the path were several vorcha and two krogan bodies. The vorcha were barely recognizable as their limbs had been torn from their torsos and the krogan had several holes in their chests that looked like they had been made by spears of some sort.

Kara nearly vomited at the site, but composed herself as she walked over a vorcha corpse, "What happened here?"

Cpl. Blake responded looking over the area, "Ambush maybe? Doesn't appear to be any signs of battle."

Allen looked around and she was right. No empty thermal clips, no bodies other than the Blood Pack, no nothing. Where was whatever had killed them? Allen was definitely concerned now, "Alright people, keep a very sharp eye out. See anything you don't like I want you to shoot it. Copy?"

The squad all nodded and they moved on. After a few minutes they came to a point where the walls seemed to go out to the left and right, giving the platoon more room to maneuver. Sgt. Ryan kept his squad on the left close to the walls while the others moved up the middle, the rest of Victor Company close behind.

Blake, Silver, and Adams were on the right while Ryan, Talis and S'Vipul were on the left, closer to the wall of rock. Just as Talis passed a small alcove a creature ambushed him. The alien had a large, red body with horns growing from it's head. Several pairs of sharp legs ripped into the salarian. He screamed as he was lifted into the air and torn in half, blood draining from his body.

Allen saw this and immediately opened fire, "Klixen!"

Sgt. Ryan unloaded his rifle into the beast, driving it back into the hole in the wall. Slamming a fresh clip into his weapon, he repeated the process until he heard the beast screech. Knowing what was to follow, he went to the side of the opening. Kara, who had been watching the entire event unfold, was dragged with him. The sergeant pushed his subordinate against the rock as the klixen exploded.

As soon as the first animal died, the entire field seemed to come alive as more than a dozen alien creatures came from seemingly out of everywhere. The whole company spread out and targeted the approaching creatures. Adams took out one with his missile launcher while Silver and Blake took down one hostile each.

As Allen was about to engage, he noticed Kara was still in shock. He went over and shook her as hard as he could, "Fire your weapon!"

After a second or two the asari responded. She began to look around as if she was just waking up from a dream. Allen shouted again, "Fire our weapon soldier! We're under attack!"

Kara seemed to snap out of her dazed state and then pointed her rifle at one of the klixen. She took aim and hit the target in the head, but it only stumbled back. She heard Ryan scream something, but she ignored him.

_Focus on the shot. _

The new recruit aimed again and planted several shots on her mark.

_Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang._

The animal exploded, sending remains all over the ground and into the air. Kara looked back triumphantly and yelled, "I got one! Sarge, did you see that?"

Ryan yelled pointing to the remaining animals charging at them, "Good, now shut up and kill the rest of them!"

The asari followed her orders, and soon the platoon had killed the last of the attacking beasts. The Eclipse troops reloaded their weapons and advanced.

Allen lead his squad as they continued to move on. _At least now we know what killed the Blood Pack. _

Victor Company continued to move through the field until they heard something. Something _big. _Allen heard a _whoosh _as a large, dragon like, alien flew overhead. The thing looked like a giant worm that had six legs and enormous wings. It landed right in front of the unit, with several klixen dropping from the animal's back. The fire breathing insects charged straight for the Eclipse soldiers.

The captain ordered his troops to spread out, but it was too late. One man was impaled while three others took out a beast and were unfortunate enough to be caught in the explosion. Medics rushed to their aid, their comrades covering them as best they could.

Allen targeted a beast and it exploded about 40 meters away. He aimed at another 30 meters away, and it was met with the same fate. The man turned to his left and a creature was within 10 meters of him! Just as he was about to fall back, the animal was encased in blue light. It was then thrown back out of visual range. Ryan saw an explosion out in the distance a second later.

Allen turned back to see Herja standing behind him with a smirk on her face, "What would you do without me?"

He just shrugged and turned back to the direction the animals had come from. Nothing. No visual movement, nothing on his HUD. He checked his ammo belt and found he had used half his ammo.

_God I hope these bugs took out all the Blood Pack. We'll be in some serious shit if they didn't. _

Victor Company soon came to what seemed to be a barricade of some sort made of crates placed in between several boulders. As they came within about 30 yards, several vorcha jumped up from behind the crates and fired. Allen grabbed Kara and pulled her with him as he hit the deck.

Two soldiers were killed instantly, the rest managed to get to the ground without injury. Fortunately for the Eclipse troops, the vorcha were terrible shots and didn't seem to have any grenades or rockets. As soon as a vorcha would stick his head out of cover, he would be gunned down. After a minute or two enough were dead that Delaney took his personal guard, roughly 20 in total, and charged the enemy. They were quickly victorious.

The company then crossed the barricade and came upon the base of a hill about 35 feet high. As the Eclipse troops looked to the top they could see the lights that looked like they belonged to shuttles taking off. They knew they had to move fast if they wanted to get the Blood Pack still on planet.

Captain Delaney ordered first platoon to go with him and move on the left flank. Second platoon, the unit Herja commanded, would go up the middle. Third platoon would take the right. Reloading their weapons, the soldiers charged as fast as they could up the hill.

The hill was not an even slope all the way to the top. There were four smaller 'steps' that had to be overcome one at a time. The first one was easy, the second level was a bit more difficult. The third had Allen out of breath, and by the fourth Allen's legs were struggling to move. His lungs were burning, and his mouth was dry as a desert. Worse, he was one of the first ones to reach the top, which also had a small barricade at the top.

_God I wish I had some kind of training for this shit!_

The camp at the top of the hill had a few terminals atop some crates and a few tents for the vorcha. There was a landing pad where the last shuttle was about to take off of. A shuttle a krogan and a few vorcha were about to board. They looked toward the advancing troops with very pissed looks in their eyes.

_Oh shit._

The vorcha aimed their weapons and fired at Allen and the few other troops that had made it up the hill, the krogan simply charging at them. Ryan jumped out of the krogan just as it was about to hit him. Turning their full attention to the reptile, the Eclipse members fired every round in their clips at it. The Blood Pack soldier shook from all the fire and fell to the ground, slightly twitching for a few seconds.

By the time the krogan was dead, the rest of Victor Company had arrived. Every soldier aimed their weapon at the few Blood Pack troops remaining. All of them were riddled with bullets and fell to the ground lifeless. Allen looked around for his squad as the rest of his unit went into the camp to search for any information they could find on the Blood Pack's operations. He saw Kara sitting on one of the crates that was at the crest of the hill with Herja sitting next to her. She gave Allen a look that said 'I've got this.'

Sgt. Ryan nodded and went with the rest of his team to look for any intel they could find.

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Herja put her arm around Kara's shoulder as she watched Allen leave. The other asari sat on the crate panting heavily and had several lines of sweat running down her face. She was holding her sniper rifle with the muzzle pointed up and at an angle with the safety on as not to accidentally kill someone.

Kara eventually calmed down enough to breath out, "I fucked up."

Herja rubbed her back. _No shit you fucked up. You should never have joined Eclipse!_

Putting such thoughts out of her mind Herja asked, "Why?"

Looking as if she was about to vomit Kara clarified, "Back there I...I froze up. One guy from our squad was...ripped in half. I...I couldn't look away," she looked at Herja, "I should have been able to handle that."

Herja hid her worry for and anger at Kara and reassured, "Look Kara, nobody, and I do mean nobody, ever should have to see something like that happen. I can't imagine anyone being OK with witnessing someone dying like that. But it is over now, and you're alright. Right?"

Kara nodded, "Yeah mom. And don't worry, it will never happen again."

A fierce look of determination that both made Herja scared for and proud of Kara came over the younger asari's face, "I will not ever let you guys down. Ever. I'll prove I'm every bit the soldier I know I can be Herja, just you wait!"

_Dear Goddess I hope not._

The Eclipse officer just held her close. She wished she and Kara were home. She just wanted to go home.

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Allen wandered around the camp. Tech specialists were looking at the terminals attempting to find whatever they could. Captain Delaney stood by one of his men and asked the soldier if he had found something.

The man replied, "Yes sir, I think so."

He typed a few keys into the holographic board and reported, "The Blood Pack has been using the resources mined from this planet to use in weapons manufacturing on the planet Zada Ban in the Xe Cha system. They're gearing up for a massive assault on major outlying colonies in Council Space."

The captain shook his head, "The Alliance won't like this."

The tech specialist informed Delaney, "Sir it seems as if the weapons are still in the process of being made. If we attack soon, we may be able to either delay or even _prevent _the attacks from ever occurring."

The captain slapped the soldier on the back, "Good work." He then put his hand to the side of his head and said, "Captain Delaney to _David, _call the Alliance. Tell them we have a priority one target and we will engage. Advise them to be on standby if their support is needed. Delaney out."

Just as the captain was about to leave the man on the terminal stated, "Sir, there's _a lot _of platinum showing up here."

Delaney walked over to the terminal and looked to the results of the Blood Pack's latest survey. He grinned under his helmet.

Delaney called the ship again, "One more thing, when you're done with the Alliance, call Eldfell-Ashland. Tell them we've got something for them."

Allen smirked at that. _I guess there's nothing wrong with showing a little entrepreneurial spirit. _

Still, he heard the news. Allen knew that this was just the start, and that they would be going into combat again very soon. He just hoped it would be _half _as easy the next time.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Choices

**Eclipse Cruiser **_**David, **_**In orbit over Zada Ban, Xe Cha system. Two days Later.**

The company sat in the briefing room, all fully dawned in armor. The captain had a hologram of the planet below them displayed as he explained the battle plan: The factory itself was in a complex built underground, but there were several reactors powering the foundry that were above ground. Some could be destroyed from orbit, but others were under enough soil and rock that they had to be targeted with a ground assault.

There were six targets that they needed to hit. The captain would take his personal guard and hit the most defended point. Herja would take most of her platoon and hit another fairly well defended area while breaking off a squad to deal with a smaller generator. First platoon would break down into squads and attack the remaining outposts.

The _David's _thermal scans of the planet indicated most of the garrison seemed to stay below the surface of the planet most of the time, so if the raid happened quickly enough, casualties could be kept to a minimum. Allen prayed that the stereotype of military intelligence being wrong most of the time was itself wrong, at least on this mission. The captain dismissed his troops, and they headed for the armory, which was next to the shuttle bay.

Allen put his helmet under his arm as he walked beside Herja toward the armory, "Looks like I'll try to have find a way to survive without you for a day. Think I can handle it?"

His asari friend said nothing.

"Look, I get it. You're away from her and you're afraid she'll...well...Look, I won't let that happen. So can you please just talk to me?"

As the two got in line to receive their weapons she turned to Allen and ordered, "Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid," and turned her back on him.

_What's with her? Ever since Kara came aboard she's been acting like we're complete strangers half the time. _

Allen waited in line and eventually received his weapon. Herja went to the rest of her troops without saying a word to Allen, who went over to his squad and briefed them. Kara was her usual cheerful self, smiling as Ryan filled them in on the details. The rest of the squad had very nervous expressions on their faces. When Allen had finished they boarded a shuttle and waited for it to take off.

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Pvt. Kara S'Vipul stood in the shuttle as it descended into the atmosphere. Her squad were stacked up at the door with her in the back of the line. Ryan had given no speeches or said any words to inspire them. Kara thought that was a bit odd. Weren't they going to fight? Didn't humans get motivated best by listening to others yell at them?

It didn't really bother her though. Nothing bothered her as long as she could _make it _here. As long as she got the mission done and lived long enough to tell about it, that was all that mattered. She checked her rifle again. She checked her armor again. She was as ready as she would ever be.

Despite her smiling face and seemingly apathetic attitude, Kara was absolutely serious about doing this. She was just as afraid as any of them, probably more so being untested in battle, but she was never one to let others see her fear. Whatever happened down there, she would carry out this mission or die trying.

_NO! You won't die! Not today! _

The pilot called out to the squad, "Approaching LZ. Landing in 5...4...3..2..1."

Sgt. Ryan lead the squad out of the doors. The area that they landed in was a sort of canyon, with many 'bridges' of rock connecting the two sides. Allen signaled for the rest of his squad to follow him. They advanced across a bridge to the other side on the divide. On the left there was nothing but a dead end, so they turned right and headed down a slope that looked like it would lead them into the side of the cliff.

Ahead was a cave that seemed to have been used as a camp. Kara could see crates and a few tables spread out. Just when they were about 50 yards away, the cliff wall behind Kara exploded. She was thrown forward at least five feet and landed flat on her face, just barely managing to hold on to her rifle.

The asari slowly regained her senses and stood up. She looked around and saw her squad running away from her. Allen screamed at her, but Kara's ears were still ringing and she missed what he said. She looked to the right and saw several vorcha troops, some with missile launchers and others with rifles, firing at her. When one fired another rocket in her direction, Kara suddenly came to her senses and ran as fast as she could.

The projectile blew a hole in the rock right where Kara was just seconds earlier. The asari kept moving. She felt her shields slamming away several round hitting her. Kara sent a silent thank you to Herja for telling her to get the upgrade. When she heard the _shunk _she knew her shields were gone.

_Just a little bit more. Come on Kara, you're almost there!_

Her squad was firing at the enemy with everything they had to give her cover while yelling for her to keep moving. Just when she was 10 yards away, she was hit. Three rounds slammed into her right abdomen, causing her to twist to the right and fall on her back. The pain was like nothing she had ever felt before. The heat from the metal felt like she had stabbed herself with a flaming iron. Soon she felt her suit applying medi-gel, another mod that she had bought at Herja's request. The pain lessened a small amount, but her side still felt like it was in a raging inferno.

Kara heard Ryan scream for a medic. Soon she felt her feet moving along the ground. She opened her eyes and saw Ryan and Silver grabbing her by her shoulders toward where they had taken cover. She closed her eyes again and when she opened them again Silver was over her looking at her injury.

He looked at her and gave her a nod. His voice, though distorted due to his helmet, was still reassuring, "You're OK S'Vipul. Suit took most of the damage. Just sit here, got it?"

Before she had a chance to respond Silver grabbed his weapon and charged off somewhere. The wounded asari could still hear gunfire, but it was getting harder and harder to hear it. She didn't know if it was the chemicals in the medi-gel being introduced into her body or if it was blood loss, or maybe both, but soon she wasn't a member of Eclipse on a mission anymore. She was just Kara, back home on Sanves.

_Kara S'Vipul was in her room packing her suitcase. Her room was brightly lit, the sun shining on the bed. Pictures covered the wall, a vid-screen on the wall above a metal was dressed in a white robe that had blue stripes down the front and sleeves. As she finished putting one pile of clothes away she looked up and saw _her.

"_Mother," Kara acknowledged as she moved to her dresser to get more clothes, not making eye contact. _

"_And just where do you think you're going?" Prima S'Vipul asked in a short and warning tone. _

_She was a few inches taller than Kara, had no facial markings and the same skin tone as her daughter. She wore a flowing purple robe with black sleeves._

"_Like you care," Kara answered back. _

_Prima advanced on her daughter and cut her off as she was making the way to her bed with more clothes in hand. "Now you listen to me, you _will _tell me just what this is right this minute! I have had it with this attitude of yours. I am your mother, and you will treat me with the respect I deserve as long as you live in my house Kara. Now answer me!"_

_Kara looked at Prima with nothing but anger in her eyes, "Funny you should say 'as long as you live in my house' mom. Because pretty soon, I _won't _live in your house any longer."_

_She stepped aside of her mom and went back to packing, "If you really care that much, I'm going to Illium."_

"_Illium!" Prima nearly exploded, "You mean to tell me you would go to the most dangerous world we have? For what possible cause?"_

_Not even looking at her mom Kara responded, "To do what you never keep telling me to do: find a job."_

"_If you had any kind of work ethic, you would have found work here Kara. If you had listened to me-"_

_Kara yelled back as she finished packing, "Listened to you? I dideverything you said, tried every business, every restaurant, every shipping company and warehouse. You know what happened mom? Nothing! I applied for every job I can legally work at, even some I _can't _just to to make you happy. I must have sent out hundreds of copies of that resume you made me come up with. _

"_I have been looking for work for over 5 months non stop. I went to every job fair, every government office, looking for somebody who would hire me. Hell, some nights I didn't even come home because I kept putting in applications. But you would have known that if you were actually _home _some nights." _

_With a deadly glare Prima advanced until she was just an inch away from Kara, "If all that's true, then where is the fruit of your labor? Why haven't you found work yet? You graduated nearly 6 months ago, I expected my daughter to be able to actually do something with her life by now!"_

_Returning her mothers glare Kara defended, "I'm just one of over 2000 maidens who graduated from my school. There are hundreds of other schools in this city. The economy is shit right now. Half of my class still unemployed."_

_Prima countered, "That is still no excuse. You are not a statistic Kara. If you go out and make excuses for yourself, you will never amount to anything. And I did not spend the last 60 years of my life raising a leach!"_

"_Why do you think I'm going off world then? So I can go sightseeing? There's always work on Illium. I thought you'd be glad; I'm finally out of the house."_

_Prima just shook her head, "You would not last one day out in the Terminus Systems Kara. It would eat you alive. In some cases literally. Do you even have a plan?"_

_Closing her suitcase Kara answered, "_Of course _I have a plan! I'm going to join the first merc band I see. They always make good money and it'll be a lot better than working at the local docking bay or shaking my ass in some club somewhere"_

_Prima's eyes began to water and her voice started to crack, "So now my daughter believes she can go off and become a commando? You would not last a single mission. You could never handle being in a battle Kara." _

_Pointing a finger at her mothers face Kara said, "That is so like you mom, you know that? You never had any confidence in me at all. Did you even really want me or did you just go too far with that turian that night?"_

_Before Prima could even respond Kara was heading to the door with her things, "Whatever. I don't care." Just as she passed the threshold she yelled back, "See you later. Maybe."_

Pvt. Kara S'Vipul opened her eyes. She was back on the mission. She heard gunfire and turned to her left. The squad was on a lower level of the cliff face attempting to advance across another rock bridge, but was pinned down. Across the walkway were several hostiles shooting at Kara's teammates. When she saw other tracer rounds hitting the cover her squad was behind, she looked to where it seemed to be coming from.

It was from the same spot that the troops that had ambushed her were at before. Whether these were the same troops or not, Kara couldn't say. She just knew she had to do something. She looked around for her rifle. She saw the weapon several feet away where she had dropped it when she was hit.

Her side still felt like someone had cut a large piece of it out with a rusty blade, and her head felt as if it had been split open on a wall, but Kara wasn't about to let her teammates die. She summoned all the strength she could and biotically pulled the rifle to her. The weapon hit her in the gut, slightly disturbing her injury. Ignoring the pain, Kara aimed at the enemies of the opposite cliff.

She aimed down the scope and lined up a shot at a vorcha with a rocket launcher. _Bang. _One less vorcha in the universe. The others didn't seem to notice the shot had come from Kara and just kept firing at the rest of her squad.

_Stupid worms._

Kara aimed again at one with a rifle and pulled the trigger. She did so on the other three hostiles. All headshots. They never knew what hit them. With those hostiles dead, Kara turned her attention to the remaining ones on the lower levels. She saw that her squad was advancing, but there was still plenty of targets. She fired at one with a flamethrower as he advanced across the bridge. The explosion caught three others, which Kara quickly dispatched.

_No point in letting them suffer. _

Her clip now empty, Kara looked through her scope and saw her squad advance into the cliff. She smiled to herself, she had finally done it! She had survived, and the mission would soon be completed. Kara knew whatever was in that cave, Ryan and the others could handle it.

"Told you I could make it you stupid old bitch."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lt. Pruor biotically threw the vorcha into the wall of the cave, smashing his brains over the rock. She walked over to his body and looked down with pity. This poor soul had few other prospects in life, and that life was also the shortest of any species that could be called sentient in Council Space.

She looked to his weapon, sat down next to his body, and picked it up. It was a large pistol, clunky, and seemed to only have the capacity for one round at a time. Still, it was a gun, and seemed simple enough to clean and take apart.

_Rota would like this. _

Herja smiled and put the newly looted possession on her belt. The officer then looked around at her troops. The cave they were in was lit just enough by the entrance to allow them to see what they were doing. It was slightly damp, and several stalagmites were spread out over the floor.

The power generators were large cylinders that ran into the ceiling and had large warnings on them they were flammable. Herja wondered why they bothered since most of the Blood Pack guards they had killed were vorcha and couldn't read anyway.

An asari soldier yelled out, "Charges are set LT!"

Herja called out to her troops, "You heard the lady, everyone out!"

The lieutenant was the last one out of the cave before it blew. Herja stood with the rest of her platoon as they watched the side of the mountain explode in a sea of fire and dust. They all screamed out in excitement at the sight.

Herja reported into her communicator the objective was complete and that they needed a pick up. The asari officer was pleased with herself. Her unit had taken only one casualty over the last two missions, all her remaining replacements seemed to be learning quickly, and now she finally had something to send back to her family that her sister would love and her mother would definitely approve of. Overall, right now, Herja was feeling pretty good.

The shuttle quickly came and picked up Herja and her squads. On the way back they heard on their communicators that there was only one casualty, which made everyone breathe a little easier. Going up against Blood Pack should have been hell, but this was almost too easy.

_Don't think like that Herja, you'll just fuck it up. _

The shuttle landed in the hangar bay and Herja was the first one out. She looked across the room and saw orderlies entering a shuttle. She walked towards the ship to see who the casualty was when they came out with the wounded soldier on a stretcher.

The wounded _asari _soldier.

Herja froze. She saw Kara and her mind went blank. She saw them leave with an Eclipse soldier right behind them, but she couldn't move yet.

_Dear Goddess, please no. Not her. Not Kara. Anyone but Kara!_

A second or two after the wounded soldier had been moved through the door, Herja ran after them, rifle still folded on her back, armor still on. She chased them until she came to the entrance to the ship's medbay where she saw the soldier that had accompanied the orderlies talking to a doctor.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" he human doctor asked the Eclipse soldier.

Sgt. Ryan took off his helmet so he could be clearly understood, "Her suit had some kind of automatic medical aid mod. I don't know how much she has in her system from what my medic gave her and her suit."

The doctor nodded, "Understood. When she's out of surgery I'll contact you."

As soon as the doors closed, Herja charged Allen and pinned him against the wall. Glowing and barely able to contain her anger enough to talk clearly, Herja demanded to know what had happened.

"We got ambushed and she got hit."

Herja grabbed him by the neck and started to squeeze, "You were supposed to protect her! I trusted you to keep her safe, and this is what happens?"

Allen choked out, "We...gave her all the... cover fire we could. My...medic stabilized her...You should be proud...She was still able to...give us some support...even though she was hurt."

Biotics flaring Herja yelled incredulously, "She was wounded but you kept her in the fight anyway?"

"Didn't have...a choice. We were under fire...she was stable...had to complete mission."

Herja biotically punched the wall next to Allen's head hard enough to leave a dent several centimeters deep. She then let Allen go, who started coughing as he tried to catch his breath.

"You let me know the minute she's out of surgery. She better be OK, for your sake."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Herja sat at her desk in her room as she started to put her new pistol together again. She had lost track of how many times she had done this since she had gotten back to her room, but her hands were cut in a few places, covered in sweat, and her fingers hurt to move. She just kept repeating the motions over and over again. Just as she completed assembling the sidearm, her omni-tool beeped.

_She's out of surgery. I'll be in Recovery One with her if you need me or want to talk._

-_Ryan_

Herja sighed and stood from her seat. She was dressed in her yellow off duty uniform as she went out of her room and headed down the hall. When she arrived in Recovery One she was greeted by a human doctor. The man had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and seemed to be in his late 40's.

The man greeted her with a cheery attitude, "Lt. good, you're here. I'm happy report the surgery went well and Pvt. S'Vipul will be back on her feet tomorrow!"

Herja looked over the doctor's shoulder and saw Allen sitting in a chair next to Kara. He was also wearing the standard off duty yellow clothes Eclipse issued.

She looked at the doctor and told him, "You're going to leave now. Right?"

The man protested, "But I really should-"

Herja came within an inch of him, biotics flaring, and repeated, "You're going to leave. Now."

The doctor nodded and quickly left the room. The asari looked around the room. The three of them were the only ones present at the moment.

_Perfect. _

Herja went over to the bed and took a seat next to Allen, "Has she woken up yet?"

Ryan shook his head, "Not yet. She just got out. Might be awhile."

Not hiding her anger she asked again, "How could you let this happen?"

Allen breathed in and out slowly a few times before answering, "Not my choice Herja. The point of an ambush is to _surprise _the enemy, not give them a chance to prepare."

Herja's voice began to rise, "You're her sergeant, you should have kept a lookout to what's around you, not stand around like an idiot and let your people get shot!"

Allen got up from his seat and began to pace around the room. Looking at his platoon leader while he walked Ryan asked, "I'm getting tired of having this same conversation Herja. How many times do you want me to tell you the same thing?"

Standing she nearly yelled out, "As many times as it takes for you to see just what you did! You nearly got that girl killed with your complacency, and if this ever happens again to her, I swear by the Goddess I'll-"

Ryan pointed a finger directly at her face, "You'll what Herja? Kill me? Why? I understand she's your friend, I do. But why all this shit? Why give me all these lectures and nearly choke me to death over just one casualty on one mission? If it had been anyone else, you wouldn't even have asked what happened. Why is _she _so different?"

Herja yelled back, "Why? Because that girl over there is my-"

"Hey, you mind keeping it down? I'm trying to sleep here!" a new, strained, voice rang out.

Herja looked over and went to the side of the bed, "Kara! By the Goddess, I'm so sorry. How are you feeling? Does your side hurt too badly? Should I-"

Kara put her hand over the other asari's mouth, "Goddess mom, please just shut up for once." She then looked over to Allen and said, "You know, you two are pretty cute when you're arguing."

The sergeant laughed slightly, "Good to see you'll be OK. How do you feel?"

Nodding Kara responded, "Mostly I'm here, think the drugs the doc gave me are still workin' though. Kinda hard to keep my eyes open." Allen nodded at that.

The injured soldier looked at Herja, "Hey mom, could you do me a favor?"

Lt. Pruor nodded several times, "Anything, just name it."

"Forget about this."

Herja opened her mouth to protest, but Kara covered her mouth again. "I don't want you feeling bad about this. I got hit because I got hit. I knew the risks when I joined. I _chose _to be a mercenary. I _chose _this life for myself. I don't blame Ryan, you, or anyone, not even myself, for what happened. Just how it is. So please, just don't worry about me for once in your life. Got it."

Herja said in a whisper, "Yeah. I got it."

Kara put her head against the pillow and whispered, "Good. If you don't mind, I'm going back...to..." Kara fell asleep. Herja kissed her forehead and left the room, Allen right behind her.

Allen called out as soon as he was out the door, "Where are you going?"

Not looking back she answered, "To talk to the captain. Maybe he can fix this mess."

Allen raced up and pulled on Herja's arm, "Can you wait for a few minutes? I want to talk to you."

The asari turned around and looked at him, "About what?"

Clearing his throat Ryan said, "About um...us."

He looked at her with tired and scared eyes, "There is still an us, isn't there?"

Herja was torn. He had let Kara get hit, but was that really his fault? Herja had to admit he was correct; if it had been another soldier she would not have cared about the details given that the man or woman would be OK.

She asked him, "You still want there _to be _an 'us' after what I did to you earlier?"

Ryan shook his head, "I don't care what you did Herja. There's really not much in my life I care about. I only care about you, my squad, and _maybe _getting whatever mission we have done."

Testing his priorities and real feelings towards those things she asked, "Wouldn't you sacrifice your squad _for _the mission?"

Allen answered, "Not if I could find another way, and only if the mission was worth dying for. Those people we rescued were worth the price we payed if it meant saving them from lives filled with nothing but pain and misery. The mission we did today saved hundreds more from ending up like them."

Herja pressed on, "Would you sacrifice me?"

"Never. You're the only good thing I have in my life right now." Allen took her hand in his, "I don't want to lose that."

Again questioning Allen Herja demanded, "What about Kara? If you had to chose between me and her, who would you pick?"

Allen breathed out and after a few seconds answered, "I would save Kara. Without hesitation, I would save her."

"Why?"

"Because you would want me to. For reasons beyond my comprehension, you would want me to save her instead of you."

Herja thought over his answer. Had he told her just what she wanted to hear? No. Allen was not the type of man to liejust for the hope of getting something he knows he probably can't have. Herja believed his answer, but she prayed she would never have to find out whether he meant it or not.

Allen reiterated, "But what about _my _question? Are we still, well, whatever we were?"

Herja sighed. Either decision meant pain. If she ended their relationship, Allen would not forgive her anytime soon. On the other hand, if they continued this, at some point in the future they would have to have this same discussion. She was very young for an asari and a permanent relationship was not what most of her kind did at her age.

She made her choice.

She took the back of his head in her hands and slammed his mouth into hers. The kiss was fierce and rough. When she felt her lungs begin to burn she tore their faces apart and affirmed, "Yes Allen, we're still together."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lt. Pruor and Sgt. Ryan walked into Captain Delaney's office. The captain was in his off duty uniform sitting at his console, a picture of a young woman on the left of the screen facing the man. The office was small, only the two chairs and the desk the captain sat at were in the room. The walls were a dark grey color.

Herja and Ryan sat down in the two seats in front of their CO's desk. Herja prayed the man would see reason.

Delaney looked up from his terminal with a scowl on his face, "Barging into your CO's office without permission. No saluting a superior officer, and no real difference of any type. If this were the Alliance, you two would be in some real deep shit if you had the wrong commander."

Herja glared back, "Well then, I'm luck this isn't the Alliance, aren't I?"

The captain scowled for a few seconds before chuckling, "Damn straight you are. Good people like you don't usually last too long. So how can I help you two?"

Herja asked, "Do you have the authority to discharge someone from Eclipse?"

Delaney nodded, "Yes. Why? Thinking of leaving so soon?"

Herja shook her head, "Not for me sir, for Kara S'Vipul. She's one of the replacements we just received."

The captain scratched his chin, "Why do you want her out?"

"She shouldn't be here sir. She's just a kid. She'll just get herself killed if she goes out there again."

Delaney turned his head to Ryan, "Is this S'Vipul in your squad sergeant?"

Ryan nodded, "Yes sir."

"And what exactly is your opinion of her?"

Allen honestly answered, "I think she's reckless and probably would get herself killed if she acts like I think she will."

"What does she do that makes you think so Ryan?"

Allen sighed and continued, "Sir, all she's done every time we've gone on a mission she is far from professional in her attitude and-"

The captain cut him off, "Wait, what do you mean every time you've been deployed? If she's a replacement, she's only been on 2 missions so far, correct?"

The both nodded. The captain asked Ryan, "How has she been in the field?"

Allen looked at Herja with an apologetic look in his face before answering, "Sir, on the first enemy base we hit she froze up initially after witnessing a squad member die, but then she quickly fought as hard as any of us. Just earlier today she provided my team and I cover fire while she was still wounded.

"I agree with Herja that she's young, but she's not any more or less likely to die than the rest of her squad at this point. She's seen enough action to have been 'baptized by fire' I guess you could say."

Delaney nodded and continued, "Does S'Vipul want out?"

Herja looked at her feet, "I have...not talked with her about this issue sir."

Delaney nodded again, "I see," the man looked at his screen for a few seconds before informing Herja he couldn't help her.

The asari pleaded, "Sir, you can't keep her here!"

The captain put his hand to his face and took a few breaths. He then looked at her and explained, "Herja, I want you to understand my situation. We are operating at barely half the manpower we should normally have. I need everyone I have right now, and this soldier seems like she can do her job, from what Ryan told me. What kind of sense would it make for me to get rid of a good soldier when I don't know when we'll get more troops?"

Looking defeated she answered, "None sir."

The captain continued, "If she decides for herself she wants to leave Eclipse I'll have her out of here tomorrow. But that has to be her choice, are we clear?"

"Lime Charlie, sir."

Delaney looked at her with a caring look, "I'm sorry. I really am."

Herja nodded and she and Allen left the room.

Ryan put his hand on her back, "Want to head to the gym? It might help you feel better if you get to turn my face into pulp."

Herja replied with a blank look on her face, "Why not?"

As the two soldiers walked down the hall, Allen put his hand into Herja's. She returned his grip.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I am posting this now because I may not get a chance later this week. Again, I own nothing I reference in this chapter. Also, I'm sorry if the formatting is wrong for a certain piece of text. You'll see. Hugo, thanks for trying to help.

Chapter Eleven: Just another day at the office.

**The next day. Eclipse Cruiser **_**David, **_**0720. Somewhere in space.**

Kara walked down the hall towards a lounge area of the ship. She had just been released from the med-bay and had been given some pain killers to help with any discomfort she may be having. She wore her new Eclipse off-duty uniform as she entered the room.

The lounge had a half dozen other troops in it. It had a mini-bar, several monitors were placed around the walls of the room. There was a vid screen with two couches and a love seat in front of it, which had a few troops on them watching the news. There was also a pair of couches running parallel to each other which were occupied by Ryan in one, and Blake in the seat across from him. They both had in their hands actual _paper _books, with Allen's being very thick.

Kara sat down next to Blake and asked, "Where'd you get that old relic?"

The woman looked over at her and answered, "I used to be a literature teacher. I have quit a collection of old paper books at home. I brought some of my favorites here with me."

Kara looked down at the text and asked, "What's it called? Is it any good?"

Nodding Blake answered, "I think so. It's actually a play called _Henry V. _It is one of the oldest human plays still being performed."

"Just how old is it?"

Blake told her, "Nearly 600 years. It was written by a man named William Shakespeare."

Kara thought for a minute, "I...wait. Is this the same man who wrote _Hamlet_? I saw this elcor crew perform a play a while ago. They said that-"

Allen looked up from his book and interrupted, "Wait, there's an elcor cast performing Hamlet? What the fuck? Elcor can't even show emotions, they'll ruin the whole play!"

Smirking Blake countered, "Like you've ever read Shakespeare sarge."

Setting his book on the seat next to him Ryan responded, "Oh yeah?"

The man then cleared his throat and nearly sang out, "Two households, both alike in dignity. In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours traffic of our stage; The which of you with patient ears attend, what here shall miss our toil shall strive to mend."

Allen sat back and asked, "Well, how was that? Should I give the St. Crispin's Day speech next since it pertains to us so much, or is that too cliche?" Pointing his finger up he exclaimed, "Oh, I know: the Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow soliloquy. That's probably my second favorite."

Blake, though stunned, managed to ask, "_Second _favorite? What's your first?"

Smiling Ryan answered, "Portia's Speech, from _The Merchant of Venice. _You know, 'A quality of mercy is not strained'. That one."

Kara laughed and said, "I didn't know humans had such interesting plays. I'll have to keep my eyes out for more of this 'Shakespeare's' work."

Blake looked at the asari with a surprised look, "You mean you are actually into plays and theater?"

Kara looked at her and shrugged, "Of course. Asari love theater. We love romance, tragedy, history, comedy, all forms of entertainment. Believe it or not I used to want to be an actress."

Ryan stated, "I can't believe an impulsive little psycho like you would ever want to be an actress."

Kara frowned once at that, "Why? I grew up on an actual civilized world. Herja said you grew up on Omega. That true?" Allen nodded. "Then how come you can even talk right, let alone recite literature?"

Allen scratched his shoulder and told the asari, "I knew this guy named Arthur in the markets where I worked. The guy must have had a couple hundred books in his apartment. He would let me borrow them from time to time. I have read multiple works of Shakespeare as well as some spy, crime, historical and military novels. My personal favorite is this book right here," Allen held up the book he was reading before: _Shogun, _by James Clavell.

Kara looked at the cover, it had a cartoon man on a four legged animal. They seemed to be being impaled by..._By the Goddess, are those arrows? _

Kara was curious now, "What's _that _story about?"

Allen smirked and told her, "A Stranger in A Strange Land."

Kara was confused and looked to Blake, who had a small scowl on her face. She turned back to Allen with an expectant look.

Ryan exclaimed, "What? Not even a chuckle? Fine." Turning his attention to Kara he told her, "The story takes place on Earth. It's about a man who travels from a country called England to a country called Japan. Once he arrives there, he becomes embroiled in a warlord's ambition to become the leader of his country."

Kara nodded in understanding but pressed on, "OK, I get the stranger part, but why is it a strange land?"

Ryan explained, "Because the cultures are completely different."

"What do you mean different? It all takes place on Earth, so how could one culture be that different from another."

Allen sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "The story takes place at the same time Shakespeare was actually _alive. _At the time, we humans didn't even have the capacity to use electricity, let alone go to other star systems. At this point in our history anything one culture, particularly European culture, saw as different was thought of as wrong, backward, crude, or in some cases, as is shown in this novel and others in the series, _subhuman."_

Kara was astounded, "Subhuman? What do you mean?"

Ryan clarified, "Through most of our history most of the races of humanity haven't gotten along well with each other. Small differences such as skin color, eye shape, or any other small and irrelevant thing was often enough to justify hatred, discrimination, or other horrible things."

The asari was stunned by this human and the things he could say, "'Races of Humanity?' Aren't all people in one species one race?"

Allen answered, "That's not how we humans saw things, at least not until we made contact with the turians. Since the war though, relations between most people on Earth and in the colonies have improved. Though that might be just because aliens are more different to humans than a man with light skin is to a man with brown skin."

The asari shook her head, "You humans, will you never cease to amaze and infuriate the rest of the galaxy with your actions and opinions?"

Cheerfully Ryan answered, "Nope," and went right back to reading.

Kara then looked back to Blake, "Teacher huh? You couldn't find any better work with your education?"

Putting the play down Blake answered, "No, it really is true what they say about how much money teacher's make. Between the cost of living on the Citadel, my baby, and the expenses from my husband's funeral, I just couldn't make ends meet.

"A friend of my husband's told me about how much he made in a year and said he could get me in. I took the job, and here I am. A woman holding a master's degree in literature killing people for a living. Go figure."

Kara tentatively asked, "If it's not too much to ask, could I borrow some of your books sometime? I'd love to read some of your human stories."

The woman nodded, "I'd love to lend them out to you. Though you may need help with the old plays. I had to take an entire course just to know what the hell it is they're saying half the time!"

Kara thanked her gratefully just as a voice came on the loudspeakers, "This is the captain, all members of Victor Company meet in the briefing room in 20 minutes. That is all."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Eclipse Cruiser **_**David, **_**0815. **

Allen sat in the briefing room with the rest of the company listening to the captain talk about the next mission.

The Eclipse officer pointed to the hologram and informed them, "This planet is called Canalus. It's been having odd weather changes that are far too drastic to be natural. There have been geth sightings in the system, and The Alliance seems to think the two may be connected. Orders are to investigate the planet, eliminate any geth presence we encounter, and send back any technology we find. Questions?"

Ryan raised his hand, "What kind of weather changes are we talking about sir?"

"Massive dust storms, freak thunderstorms, things of that nature. Yes, that means we _still _can't use any of our gunships." There was a wave of moans from the company, "I'm sorry people. I can't decide what missions we get. Anything else?"

An asari sergeant asked, "Do we have any other intel about the enemy?"

"The anomalies seem to always originate from a single spot on the planet. The plan is to surround the area and do a sweep to find anything unusual."

"How much of the company will we bring?" the asari soldier asked again.

Delaney answered, "Everyone. I'm not taking any chances against the geth."

There were no other questions. so the company headed to the armory to get their weapons and ammo. Once everyone was equipped they boarded the shuttles and waited for the deployment.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Canalus, Pylos Nebula. 0905.**

Sgt. Ryan led his squad out of the shuttle as it touched down. The air was choked with dust, so much so that the sun seemed to have already set. The field was clear as far as the Eclipse soldiers could see, but the visibility was so low the geth could be 50 yards in front of them and they wouldn't know until it was too late.

Allen looked to his sides; the rest of the platoon had spread out and had formed a defensive circle around the LZ. The company had deployed around their target area in a clockwise formation. Delaney had taken his personal guard and taken the north flank. First platoon had the East, second platoon had the south, and the third platoon would come in from the west.

Lt. Pruor signaled for the platoon to advance and ordered first squad, Ryan's team, to guard the rear. Herja lead the troops as they advanced. The terrain was uneven; at some spots there were ditches several feet deep and at others several large rocks or mounds of soil appeared.

It wouldn't take much for the squads to lose each other in the fog. Herja ordered the squads to always stay in visual range of each other.

The asari officer then called in her communicator, "Lt. Pruor reporting in. No enemy contacts."

Delaney called back, "Roger. Maintain radio silence unless engaged."

Herja responded, "Understood, out," and continued to the objective. For several minutes they advanced. Ryan had a bad feeling. This was too much like that Blood Pack base. _Something just-_

_THTHTHTHTHTHTHT! _

Bright, fast, and deadly, shots from geth plasma rifles rang out just as the platoon came to the crest of a small hill. There were a few rocks up ahead to provide cover, which the unit rushed to. Looking ahead, maybe 20 yards away, Allen could see the lights that were the eye's of the machines. The platoon immediately returned fire.

The light came closer and closer, some being hit and going down, but others came and took their place. There were perhaps 10 hostiles approaching in an organized military manner. One group would lay down deadly cover fire while the other team would advance. The Eclipse troops outnumbered them, but the robots could fire faster than any organic being could and with better accuracy.

_This isn't good. _

Eventually one of the geth was hit in the light by a round from a sniper rifle, and the robot's rounds were just a bit less accurate. Ryan threw a grenade right at where they were advancing. The explosion took out another two machines. The rest of the fire team seemed to lose focus as a result. Their movements became slower, their fire less accurate. The Eclipse soldiers destroyed them easily.

The other geth continued to fire as they advanced. Though they moved from side to side in an effort to confuse the organics, it was easy to predict where they would be. In a few minutes, the last of them was a pile of scrap metal.

Herja called it in, "Captain, we have just been engaged. Be advised, hostiles are more combat effective the more of them there are."

Without waiting for a response, they asari ordered her troops forward. The field became less and less even the farther they went. More ditches and more rocks were in front of them soon. Off in the distance the unit could see a bright, light blue light advancing to the sky. It didn't take a genius to understand that was how the geth were controlling the weather. Ryan also realised that the geth would probably be dug in there.

_Nobody said this would be easy. _

They advanced on the light, weapons aimed in every direction and the lieutenant in the lead. When they were about 60 or 70 yards away, dozens of lights suddenly appeared. The air was filled with plasma in an instant. Two men from the squad in front of Ryan's were hit in the upper chest and fell to the ground screaming.

Screams for medics filled the air. Ryan and his team provided cover as Silver and an asari medic pulled the injured soldiers behind a large, cylindrical boulder. Herja ordered the platoon to fall back, but she herself was unable to. Fire from the geth moved around her like a swarm of angry hornets. Unable to go back and needing to move, the asari did the only thing she could: move forward.

Allen looked up from where he had taken cover and saw Herja run towards the enemy. Soon she was out of sight, though flashes of blue could still be seen in the distance.

_NO! _

Allen turned to Blake and yelled, "Cover me, I'm makin' a run for it!"

Blake just yelled back, "What? Sarge, what the hell-"

Ryan charged out into the hail of plasma fire around him. He ducked as a round came charging for his head. He dodged a rocket that came from the left and only stopped to not be hit by another charge of plasma that came from his right.

Ahead he could see his friend. She was in a ditch with several geth closing in on her. Summoning all the strength he had, Sgt. Allen Ryan charged as fast as he could. He screamed as he fired several shots as he ran, missing but drawing several of the geth's attention. As he came to within a few feet of one he slammed his rifle across the 'flashlight' eye it had.

He saw another about to fire and just barely managed to shoot it before it killed him. Running over to his platoon leader he shot two more geth before being forced to reload his weapon.

Herja screamed at him as he sat down beside her, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Saving your ass!"

Allen then looked around; he was in a very bad situation. Geth were still coming in from all sides. There were no less than 20 hostiles that he could see. Some of them were higher than the other, which meant command and control units. Platforms that

would not be easily destroyed.

_Great, I don't know how I'm gettin' out of this one!_

The two did the only thing they could: fight. The both spotted targets and fired on them. Herja biotically slammed one into the ground as Allen shot two geth rocket troopers. Still, more remained.

Allen and Herja looked to each other, nodded, and charged into the field. Herja charged a geth trooper while Ryan fired at a geth hunter. He managed to take out it's shields before it recovered and fired at him.

Just before it hit him, Allen was covered in blue light and thrown out of the way. He got up from the ground and looked to where the machine was before, only to see a blue explosion. Allen looked to Herja and nodded. As Allen got up, he saw another hunter uncloak and target Herja. He tried to warn her, but he knew it was too late. The asari turned to face the machine...and a dozen rounds penetrated it's head.

The two Eclipse soldiers looked to the direction the shots came from and saw Kara charging into the fray. Slamming another clip into her weapon, she aimed and took out two more hostiles.

The young maiden looked at them and yelled, "Come on, get back here!"

Herja shook her head and yelled into her communicator, "Second platoon, move forward."

She pointed for the two to follow her, and she lead the advance on the enemy. Now that the geth were thinned out, it was simple to pick a single target and destroy it while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. When they had regrouped, Herja again took the lead and advanced straight for the geth structure.

The platoon took cover behind the crest of a hill when they were about 20 yards away from the geth tower. They could see at least 30 or 40 geth. Herja ordered the snipers and heavies to pick targets and to wait for her signal. She called in her position to the captain and told him where she was.

Delaney radioed back, "Acknowledged. LT, I don't do anything crazy now, but do you think you can take the tower yourself?"

Herja looked to her troops. There were 25 of them here in total with her. The asari troops all had confident grins on their faces, and the humans and few salarians all nodded their heads. They could do this.

Herja radioed back, "Yes sir! Just don't shoot when you come out, copy?"

"Copy. Good hunting."

Herja grinned and yelled out, "Now!"

The heavy troopers and snipers took out a third of the geth in an instant. The rest of the platoon opened fire at the same time, killing several hostels and suppressing the rest.

Herja reloaded her rifle and screamed out, "Let's move! First squad on me!"

Allen lead his team as he charged after Herja. The distance between the Eclipse troops and the geth's position was soon crossed. Allen fired several rounds and hit a geth trooper as Silver and Blake both smashed in the heads of two other machines. Adams and Kara were both slaughtering the remaining enemies. The fewer the geth, the easier the targets they made. Soon, it was over.

Allen stood in front of the geth tower. It was tall, standing about 60 feet or so. It had no outward markings, but seemed to get thinner the closer it got to the top. He was not a man easily surprised, but Allen was truly in awe on how the geth might have the technology to alter the climate of an entire planet. He knew his _other_ boss would want a look at this. He stepped up to the platform and pressed a few buttons on his omni-tool. Soon he had downloaded the schematics for the device and sent them to the Shadow Broker.

_I wonder how much this could be worth? _

The sergeant then went off to find the rest of his team. He found them just staring at the geth structure. Herja was nearby talking to the asari medic that had helped Silver with the wounded soldiers earlier.

"How bad were their injuries?"

The medic reported, "They going to need some time to recuperate, but they should be alright ma'am."

Herja dismissed the soldier and noticed Allen. She walked over to him and thanked him for his assistance.

The sergeant pointed at Kara, "We should both be thanking her. If it wasn't for that one we'd both be dead right now."

Nodding, Herja went over to where the rest of Allen's team was. She called out, "Pvt. S'Vipul, front and center!"

Kara stood in front of her superior with a worried look on her face. She wondered what Herja would do now.

The Eclipse officer lectured, "You charged at an enemy position with no support. That was without a doubt the _second _dumbest thing I have seen happen today! I never want you to do something nearly that stupid ever again! I am I understood?"

Kara nodded, "Yes ma'am."

Herja moved in closer, "Good." She then enveloped Kara into the fiercest hug she had ever had and whispered, "I know why you did that, but please don't do it again. If I die, fine. But you...I can't lose you."

Herja stepped back and said, "Also, thank you. For saving my life and that of Sgt. Ryan. If not for your actions, I don't know what else would have happened here today."

Kara nodded with a grateful expression on her face, "Thank you mo- or, ma'am. I...can't tell you what it means to hear those words."

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**Eclipse Cruiser **_**David, **_**En route to the Citadel. 1730. **

Back on the ship, the whole crew of the _David _was sitting in the shuttle bay, Delaney and Ryan were setting up a movie projector. Most were dressed in the yellow off duty outfits, some in other civilian clothing. In all 12 soldiers were wounded, but all would soon make a full recovery and there were no fatalities.

Some veterans in the company thought that the relatively easy missions and low casualties that they had been experiencing recently was reason enough to have a little celebration. The captain had approved the idea of a 'movie night,' and the crew was excited to finally be able to just take a rest.

Allen was helping the captain pick the choice for the first movie when Kara walked up to them. They were standing in back of the movie projector, which was pointed at the blank bulkhead that retracted when shuttles were launched. The rest of the unit was sitting in chairs or on the floor behind them.

The projector itself was a small shiny box that had a holographic menu projected from the back that had all the available selections. It stood on a three foot tripod. The two Eclipse veterans looked at the relatively new member and asked if they could help her.

Kara smiled and addressed Allen, "You remember that guy Shakespeare and the talk about his plays from earlier?" Allen nodded.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe I could see one of his plays or something. You know if it's not too much trouble."

The captain asked, "Do you see anything that looks _remotely _like that sergeant?"

Allen ran a search for old earth drama, but found nothing good. Another search of classic earth films yielded different results though. Ryan looked at one movie in particular and showed the captain.

"This film's based off of _MacBeth. _It's not totally true to the play, but it's still actually pretty good."

The captain looked at the movie title: _Throne of Blood. _Delaney nodded and the sergeant set the movie to play. Delaney and Kara sat down in the front row while Allen went to stand in the back alongside Herja.

The asari told Allen, "Delaney said when we get to the Citadel, we'll each get some shore leave. Kara and I were going to head home. I was thinking of dragging your sorry ass along too. What do you say?"

The pair turned to watch the movie as it began. Allen answered, "Why not? Somebody has to keep your mind off that little ball of energy. Might as well be me."

The two stood in comfortable silence as the movie played, Ryan looking back on all that had happened. Today he had discussed Earth history with a squadmate, nearly gotten killed several times by alien robots, and now was watching an ancient japanese movie with his girlfriend whom had invited him to spend his shore leave with her on her homeworld.

_Just another day at the office. _

A/N: Sorry for the relative shortness of this chapter. I know it's not my best, but my life has been busy lately. Hope to see you next week!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Guess who came home for dinner.

**Sanves, Athena Nebula. Two days later. **

Huge crowds, mostly asari with a few humans in the mix, entered and exited the spaceport like an army of ants moving about a colony. Herja walked out of the exit of the structure with Allen behind her on the left and Kara on her right, each holding a black suitcase. The asari wore their leather commando outfits while Ryan wore a grey and white colored military jacket and pants. The building they exited was a large, white, triangular spire.

Like all asari worlds, Sanves was covered in tall skyscrapers that stretched on for as far as the eye could see. Some were simply square in shape and had no aesthetic value, others were a triangle like shape with elegantly painted designs in purple and pink colors.

The day was growing late, the setting sun reflecting off the buildings, making them glow and shine as if they were themselves generating warmth and comfort. The shadows the towers generated stretched on for hundreds of yards, perfectly contrasting with the light. Herja felt her heart nearly melt at the sight.

_I'm finally home. _

Turning to face Allen, Herja gestured toward the city, "Welcome to Ostia Allen."

The human stared mouth agape for a few moments. "The view's...well...I've never seen anything like this."

"Damn right you haven't sarge. Some say that this planet's beauty rival's that of the Homeworld's," Kara interjected.

Herja shook her head and pointed towards a parked skycar she rented, "Maybe not quit that beautiful, but still a nice view. Come on, our ride's waiting."

The three entered the green vehicle, programed the VI to take them to the apartment Herja's family lived at, and headed off into the evening. Herja rode in the driver's seat with Kara sitting beside her. Allen was in the back looking out the window marveling at the architecture. Skycars moved in neat, orderly rows across the city, breaking formation only to change lanes or arrive at their destination.

Herja looked at the horizon, the star now just a few centimeters above it. Far off in the distance she could see trees and open planes. She knew she would have to visit those again sometime before she left. She would definitely take her family with her.

_I wonder if Allen would like that?_

She sat looking out the window for a few more minutes before they arrived at the correct building. The car landed in front of a tall, fairly thick bodied tower. It looked very similar to the buildings on Illium. The trio took their bags out of the trunk of the car, and headed inside.

The first floor of the building looked like the reception area to a hotel. There was an asari at the front desk who was talking to a human woman. The lobby had two couches, an actual fireplace, and several chairs. At the end of the room were elevators and a sign showed that the stairs were through the door on the left down the hall. Herja led the other two Eclipse soldiers into the elevator and punched in the correct floor number.

After a minute or two, they reached the correct floor and the door opened to reveal Herja's home. Immediately to the left was a wide open living room with a large vid-screen, two large couches, and a recliner large enough to fit three grown men in it. On the right a few feet ahead of the door was a hallway that led to several close doors. Straight ahead was a large white table with rounded heads and no edges.

In one seat sat an asari. Her skin was as dark as Herja's, she had red markings over most of her face, and was dressed in a blue robe with purple lines running down the sides. Though she was sitting down, it was clear that she was at least a few inches taller than Herja. On the left of the asari there was a doorway that led to the kitchen.

The asari looked to the group as the door opened and just stared for a few seconds. She looked as if she was in a trance before getting up and slowly walking over to her daughter arms extended and a few tears falling.

"Herja. By the Goddess you finally came home!"

Herja dropped her bag and ran into her mother's embrace, tears of her own falling. After a brief but fiercely tight hug Herja told her mother, "You have no idea how good it is to _be _home mom. I can't tell you how many times I wished I was here again with you and the others."

The older asari nodded and looked to Kara and asked as she again extended her arms, "And you Kara? How have you been?"

Kara set down her luggage and threw her arms around the older asari, "Goddess Hildra, where do I _begin_?"

"Well look who decided to show up. Just in time for dinner too," a new voice rang out.

The group turned to the source of the interruption. In the opening of the hallway stood a very young asari. She was shorter than Herja, had blue eyes, and had red markings along her cheeks. She wore a red shirt and black pants, and her skin was a darker shade than Herja's.

Herja smiled warmly at the young one, "Rota. Charming as ever I see."

Rota crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Well what do you expect? You go off and live the dream as a mercenary and forget all about us! All I asked is you get me one single thing you pick up. But do you? No! All you've done is send back that one helmet and a few video and audio messages. One gift, that's all I asked. But you know what? Forget it. I don't really care anymore."

Herja reached in a pulled out a certain piece of metal from one of her pockets, "Then I guess I can just keep this? OK then-"

Rota rushed over and pulled the pistol from her sister's hand, "No way, that's already mine! You owed it to me!"

Hildra shouted out, "Rota! Where are your manners? We have a guest in our house, and I will not tolerate this type of behavior-"

Rota just waved her mom off with her hand, most of her attention still focused on examining the pistol, "Yeah, hey what's up Kara?"

Hildra sighed, put her hand to her face and clarified, "No Rota, the _other _guest."

The youngest asari looked around the room and saw Allen, who was awkwardly waving his hand at her. "Holy shit! Who let in the human?"

"What!?" a deep voice rang out from the kitchen. In a few seconds a large krogan dressed in a light brown outfit with gold colored eyes came out the doorway. He saw Allen and immediately charged at him. In less than a second Allen was pinned to the wall by the massive reptile, who was holding the human to the wall with his forearm.

In a low and threatening voice he said, "Human, you are in my home without an invitation. You are weaker and smaller than I am. You have no way to harm or destroy me. Give me a reason not to kill you."

Though Ryan stared at the krogan with all he had, his face was beginning to turn blue. Herja rushed over to his side with her mother and Kara close behind.

Herja pleaded, "Dad, he's my friend. He's one of my best soldiers! Let him go Now!"

Hildra added, "Jursk, he is _my _guest. This is as much _my _house as yours._ I_ say he is allowed here."

The krogan continued to press on Allen's neck, "Not good enough. He's weak. He's not fit to enter this home!"

Herja thought frantically of something that would force her father to let Allen go. Eventually she had an idea. She didn't know if it would make things easier or harder on Allen, but it was his only chance at surviving this.

"He's my _lover_ dad," Herja revealed in a frantic and desperate tone.

All eye's in the room went immediately to Herja. Her sister soon had a wicked smile across her face, her mother simply stared at Ryan, and Kara did nothing as she already knew this. Jursk's eye's widened as far as they could go. He then immediately smelled the human and then let out an unintelligible curse in an ancient krogan language. After giving Ryan another death glare he released him and went over to sit in the recliner and turned on the vid-screen as if nothing had ever happened. Ryan fell to the floor coughing and the asari crowded around him, Herja being the first to arrive.

The Eclipse officer forced Ryan to sit up, "Sit up straight Allen, you get more air in your lungs that way. That's right, slow deep breaths."

After a few minutes Allen's face returned to normal and he took a seat at the table, the others joining him.

Hildra inquired, "Are you feeling alright? Any other injuries we should know about?"

Ryan shook his head coughing a bit, "I'm fine. Thank you ma'am." Allen turned to Herja and only half joked, "Why is it every krogan we meet wants to kill me?"

"Because you're weak and useless," Jursk said from his seat. He stated that as if he was giving an update on what the weather would be like.

Allen turned to Herja, who gave Allen a sympathetic look. "Don't worry, if you've survived your first encounter with dad, you'll survive the rest of our leave."

Her mother asked how long they would be staying. Herja told them they would remain here for the next two weeks before having to get back to their company.

Hildra smiled, "Good. We have you home for a little while at least."

She turned to face her bondmate, "Jursk, did you finish making dinner?"

The krogan continued to focus on the screen, "No. I forgot."

Herja suggested, "Why don't we just go out or order something?"

Her mother nodded, "Great idea. Jursk!"

"What?! I'm watching the varren races! Can't this wait?" the krogan yelled.

Yelling louder than he did Hildra ordered, "You go out and get us something to eat. And before you ask why, it's because you nearly killed this poor man and fucked up with what we were going to have tonight! Now go, before I throw you out!"

Rising the reptile answered, "Fine, but only if I get to take that stupid little pyjak with me."

Herja immediately yelled back, "Not a chance in the Abyss dad! You think I'll-"

Allen tapped on her shoulder as he got up, "It's fine. I'll go."

Herja grabbed his arm as he tried to leave, "Why is the name of the Goddess would you do that?"

Allen answered honestly and with a calm voice, "I just don't like it when people fight. It's fine."

Herja countered, "We're not fighting Allen, we're _talking_! This is how my family is, don't you get that?"

Jursk went over to the door, "It's settled then, the pyjak goes with me. Lets go." The krogan punched the button on the door and waited for the elevator to come. Allen looked at Herja one more time. His eyes looked worried, but he still had a smile on his face.

The elevator soon came and the two males went into it and left to floor.

Herja watched the two leave and shrank in her seat. Her mother came over to where she was sitting and gave her a firm hug, "Don't worry. We both know your father. He would never harm someone you cared about."

Herja put her hands over her mother's arm, "I know mom, but this is still my fault. I should have called and told you I was bringing someone home."

"That's not important now," Hildra looked over to Rota and told her to make them some tea. The youngest asari nodded. Leaving her new favorite toy on the table, she left into the kitchen and soon came back out with a freshly brewed pot of Thessian herbal tea. Setting the pot in the middle of the table, Rota poured everyone a cup and sat down. Hildra sat at one end of the table with Herja on her left and Kara on Herja's left. Rota took up her mother's other flank and began to fling her new toy around like she was a professional.

Hildra saw this and commanded, "Rota stop that this instant before you shoot someone!"

Herja put a hand on her mom's shoulder, "It's OK mom. I've already taken out all the internal parts that aren't necessary to have the gun fold up. It's only useful in combat as a club."

Rota's face lit up at that suggestion, but her mother immediately told her, "**I **will be keeping that with me when you are at school. If you even think about bringing it to school to show your friends, you won't be allowed to _have _friends until you move out. Do I make myself clear?"

Rota nodded.

Hildra then turned to face Herja, "So, tell me about this human. Is he really a good soldier?"

Herja smiled, "Yes. He's been with me since the beginning. I don't think I would be alive today if it wasn't for him."

Hildra nodded and responded, "Is he a casual or serious lover? I know humans can sometimes seem like both at times."

Herja took another sip of her tea before answering, "He is...definitely serious about his feelings toward me," she looked down at the table, "I'm not sure about my own feelings though."

"What do you mean?"

The Eclipse officer looked at her mother, "I mean I don't know if what we have now is worth continuing mom." She asked her mother, "Mom, how do you know if you should end a relationship or not?"

"Why? Are things not well between you?" Hildra asked with great concern.

Herja shook her head, "Mom, Allen and I are fine. We have not had much time to ourselves, but I feel very comfortable being around him. I feel as if...I might want to bond with him."

Hildra nodded in understanding. "And you want to see what I think about this. What are your thoughts?"

Finishing her cup she stated, "I know he is a good man. I know he will not leave me, for any reason. He could have left before but he chose to stay with me. He is by far the most loyal man I have ever met."

Kara spoke up, "You think he would want a family so young? Most of the time that doesn't work out starting this early in life, even for humans."

Herja answered, "I don't know. I do know that it's what he will eventually want, even if it would be several years in the future."

Hildra reiterated, "But that doesn't answer my question Herja. What do _you want? _What do _you _think about this?"

Herja sighed heavily, "I asked myself that question when I first considered this. I know I will have to either end this soon to avoid hurting him in the long run, but at the same time I don't want to hurt him now. Of course, the only other alternative would be to either settle down with him or end it when he starts talking of children.

"None of these options are good. I just want to find the _best _one," she looked at Hildra, "Which one is that mom?"

Her mother told her, "The one that makes you and him the happiest."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ryan sat in the passenger seat of the car next to the 1000 pound krogan. Neither had said a word since they entered the vehicle. The red skycar flew through the traffic of the early evening heading to a restaurant Jursk had ordered food from.

Eventually the krogan broke the silence, "So, who would win in a fight between you and my daughter?"

Allen remembered all the times Herja had kicked his ass sparing, "Herja wins every time."

Jursk seemed slightly surprised by this, "You've fought my daughter?"

Allen continued to look out his window, "Not necessarily _fought _but we spar all the time. I've never lasted very long against her."

In a slightly irritated voice the reptile questioned, "Then what makes you think you are worthy of her?"

Allen thought about this question for a few minutes before honestly answering, "I really don't think I am. I'm amazed she's stayed with me as long as she has."

"Does she want to stay with you?"

Ryan turned to the krogan and told him, "Yeah, she does. She 'accepted my offer,' as she said. She chose to keep whatever it is we have going. As far as I can tell, she wants to be with me."

The krogan huffed and stated evenly, "Good. You know if you ever do anything to harm her in any way, I'll feed you your own intestines."

"Yeah, I'd have a feeling you would say something like that sometime today."

The krogan laughed out, "Good, now that that's out of the way, we can really start getting to know each other. So, what's your most impressive kill?"

Ryan smirked, _I love krogan. _"Well, there was this one time I killed a Cerberus assassin with his own sword."

Jursk faced the human, his gaze seeming contemplative, "You killed a Cerberus assassin? Ha! That one we'll have to talk about over dinner," Turning back to face the traffic in front of him Jursk asked for another story.

Ryan actually relaxed a bit. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. "Alright. This one mission we were on I killed an entire squad of Blue Suns single handedly. Our platoon was raiding this base on Sanctum..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A little while later Allen and Jursk came through the door each holding two metal buckets containing food. The asari sitting at the table gathered up their cups and Kara and Rota went to get plates and silverware from the kitchen.

Allen continued the story he was telling, "...so we're surrounded and outnumbered. We both know that this it probably it. So what do you think we did?"

The human and krogan set their containers on the table as the asari start to set out the plates for everyone.

Jursk thought for a second before he answered, "Attack?"

Allen nodded and smiled, "Attack."

By now the table was fully set and they all sat down. Allen sat with Herja on his left, then Rota and Hildra. Kara sat on his right next to Jursk.

Allen continued as the asari began to take food from the buckets, "Herja charged straight at this geth trooper. Turned it into a pile of wires and scrap! Then what does she do? She saves my life for about the 10th time."

Herja looked to Allen and smiled, "9th time. That incident in the cargo bay of the _David _doesn't count."

"What happened next?" Jursk asked in a genuinely curious tone.

Ryan continued to tell how he and Herja killed several geth, only to still be faced with certain death, "...but just as this hunter is about to kill us both" Ryan pointed to Kara, "She comes charging in and takes it's head off with her rifle!"

Jursk laughed out in amusement, "Ha! Excellent story human. Now, tell us about this Cerberus assassin you killed."

All the asari stopped eating, Kara nearly spitting her water all across the table. Hildra cried out, "What? You killed a Cerberus assassin? Where? When?"

Allen began to talk about his night on Omega as he took a bucket from Kara. In it were three compartments holding three different types of food. In one was what appeared to be a mix of meats, grains, and vegetables looking something like jambalaya. In another was simply a clump of noodles, and in the third were several small green triangles.

Allen had just finished telling the group why he and Herja were in Afterlife when he asked what those triangles were. Herja explained as she took one, "This is called a paanaris. It's a piece of fried fish wrapped in dried seaweed."

Allen took a few of those and put some noodles on his plate and continued, "So anyway I meet this asari at the bar after Herja leaves. We start making small talk until her boyfriend starts to insult the bartender. She asked me to help get him to his apartment, so I help drag him to the car and go with them."

Ryan started to take a few bites of his food. _Damn, these paan things are pretty good! _Once he had eaten a bit, he told more of his story. He skipped the conversation he had in the car and went right to the fight.

"So just as I'm about to leave, this assassin in an all black outfit shows up. Apparently these two guys knew each other and the assassin's boss sent him to kill this racist prick. Then, out of nowhere the assassin guy, whose name was lang or some shit, charged at us with a fucking sword!"

Jursk smiled at that, "Good, he had a quad on him at least. Any pyjak can shoot a gun, it takes a true warrior to kill another face to face."

Ignoring the looks of disgust on the other's faces on that comment, Allen returned to his story.

"Anyway, he took out Liselle with a dart and stabbed Grayson leaving just me. He dropped his weapon for reason's I'll never know then comes at me in this weird fighting stance. It wasn't hard to take him down."

Allen told them of the brief fight he had with Kai Leng, even showing a few of the moves he used on the amature. "So, I grabbed his sword, walk over to him, and," Allen waved his arm from the right of his body to his left as the others continued eating, "I sliced his head off with his own sword." He then took a small break to eat some of his food.

Hildra looked down at her eldest daughter, "This man is certainly not what I expected in a lover of yours Herja," she turned to Allen and nodded for him to continue.

After he had finished most of his plate Allen revealed, "Just as I'm looking over at Liselle to make sure she's OK, guess who comes into the room and pinned me to the wall? Go on guess."

When none of them spoke Allen smirked and said, "Aria T'Loak. Turns out it was her daughter's life I saved that night. Now, she actually owes me a favor!"

Jursk burst out laughing, "HA! I like this human! I've never heard such varren shit in my life!"

Allen put his hands up, "I swear to God, it's the truth. I even had the blood on my clothes to prove this shit happened. Herja, didn't I have blood all over my outfit when I returned to the ship?"

The Eclipse officer told the others, "It's true you had blood all over you, but Aria T'Loak Allen? That is fucking impossible."

"What do I have to do for you to believe me?"

Rota burst out, "Meld with her."

"Rota!" Hildra and Herja said at the same time. She just waved them off and finished her plate.

Hildra then looked to Herja and asked her about how her current job was.

Herja happily reported, "It's actually pretty good. The company I'm with now is doing pretty good work. Just a little while ago we rescued over 50 prisoners from some batarian pirates."

Looking away from her mother she also said, "We also took out a few Blood Pack bases." Looking her mother in the eye she said, "Before you say anything mom, please listen. They were preparing for a major invasion. We stopped it from ever happening. We saved a lot of lives."

Hildra was silent for a few seconds before nodding with a smile on her face. "Good. I'm glad you are alright and you weren't harmed."

Jursk interjected, "Got any scars to show for it though? You can't expect your children to be proud of you if you don't have anything to _show _for all your hard work."

Hildra shouted back, "Jursk! I do not want my daughter to be hurt! I would have thought that you would care more about her safety!"

The krogan yelled back, "Don't tell me I don't care about our daughter Hildra! I just meant she needs trophies to show her own daughters one day. How can they respect her if they don't know for a fact she's seen battle!?"

Allen came in to the argument, "I have more than enough scars for the both of us."

Jursk snorted, "Yeah right. Pyjak like you wouldn't tolerate the smallest amount of pain!"

Ryan chuckled and looked to Hildra, "Ma'am, would you mind if I showed off my scars?"

She told him it would be fine and he unbuttoned his shirt. Pointing to a round mark on his stomach Ryan told them of the raid on Sanctum. He looked to Herja, who did not look as shaken as Allen thought she would as he told the story to her family. He showed several lines on his arm and told them they were from the shotgun from a batarian pirate. He showed them the marks he had received on the _Ter Alan. _

"How did you get those?" Hildra asked.

Herja had a sad and shameful look on her face. Allen knew this would be hard on her, so he did the best thing he could for everyone.

"We were taking this ship. The people already on it were about to evacuate. I was right in front of this one guy when he shot me. They all got away, but nobody in our unit died that day."

Hildra nodded and turned to the group, "Good. Is everyone done eating?" Everyone nodded and Hildra then began to take their plates.

Allen took some of the food and plates and insisted on helping. "Such a polite and respectful man. You truly are a rare thing in the galaxy," Hildra commented.

As Hildra and Ryan took the food and plates into the kitchen the others went into the living room. Jursk took seat in his recliner while the asari took seat on one of the couches with Rota in the middle. From the kitchen Allen could hear the noise of crowds.

An asari voice came from the other room, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ultimate Fight Club!"

Allen tuned out the sound coming from the other room and helped Hildra with the dishes. The room was spotless, the floor seemed to be a mirror it reflected the images of the people above it so perfectly. The counters were wide and filled with containers of food and drinks. A bowl holding many pieces of exotic and multi colored fruit lay in one corner of the room.

The food was left in the containers they came in and were put in a large refrigerator. Allen put the scrubbed dishes into the dishwasher as Hildra handed them to him.

As they finished putting the dishes away Allen asked, "So Herja said you were in the Guard, correct?"

Hildra replied, "Yes. I grew up in Serrice along with Kara's mother Prima. We enlisted as soon as we graduated, which was allowed back then. Now you have to be at least 200 to enlist."

When Allen asked why that changed Hildra told him, "Most maidens could do their jobs properly, but some just weren't mature enough to handle the stress. The age was raised, and as a result, most maidens who would have joined the military went off and became mercenaries, like my daughter."

Allen nodded, "I see. What was it like in the guard?"

Smiling Hildra leaned against the sink, "The time I spent there may have well been the best years of my life. I was sent on missions all over the galaxy. I fought in the Terminus Systems against pirates and in the Attican Traverse against terrorists. Every day would bring a new challenge and my team and I always overcame them. There was nothing that could stop us." Her face grew darker and her smile faded, "until one mission."

She looked to Allen, "You say you fought against the Blood Pack?" He nodded. Hildra sighed, "So have I. When they started targeting asari colonies my team was sent to destroy the group responsible. When our ship found the target, it opened fire on us. We managed to cause enough damage for their ship to be forced to crash down on an uncharted world, but they did the same to ours.

"12 of us survived the crash, but most of the enemy did as well. For five days we waged a relentless battle against each other. When it was done, only 5 of my team, including myself, survived. When we got back to Thessia, they called us heros but I just...couldn't go back to the Guard after that. Prima and I both turned in our papers and retired from the military. I went on to become a teacher and Prima became a lawyer."

Allen asked if Hildra and her old team still kept in contact. The asari said, "Yes, we do. We occasionally meet and relive our glory years. Prima followed me here to Sanves. She actually lives in this very building, hence why our daughters know each other."

Allen nodded. He then asked, "If you don't mind ma'am, could I ask you a personal question?"

Hildra nodded and he asked, "How exactly did you end up with a krogan as a husband? If that's too personal-"

Hildra cut him off, "No, it's not. I'm sorry if he harmed you earlier. I truly am. You must understand he is very protective of what he believes to be his, even more so than most krogan."

Allen responded, "I'm OK, really. I'm sorry if it's not appropriate to ask, I just didn't think it's exactly normal for an asari to end up with a krogan."

Hildra grinned, "You are right. It is not typical for asari and krogan to become bondmates-"

Hildra was cut off by Rota as she screamed at the monitor, "Yeah! Tear his fucking head off!"

Jursk _and _Herja screamed at the same time, "Shut the Fuck UP! I can't hear the screen!"

Hildra then finished, "But as you can see, our family is anything but typical."

Hildra breathed out and explained how she met Jursk. "The asari military has a very large navy, but our ground forces are non-existent save for a few thousand commandos. Often we have to supplement our troops with mercenaries and bounty hunters. Jursk was one of them. We fought several battles together. We shared even more bottles of ryncol.

"Eventually, after I left the Guard, I hit the Matron stage in my life and I wanted a family. I thought of what type of children I would want and decided I wanted daughters that would be fierce and independent. Strong in both mind and body. Jursk was a more than suitable match. I sent him an offer and he accepted."

Allen was slightly confused, definitely bothered, and possibly...he did not know what he felt, but it wasn't what he associated with good feelings.

Not wanting to offend his host he politely asked, "I am sorry ma'am, I don't understand what you just meant. I understanding you wanting a family, but what do you mean what type of children you wanted?"

Hildra explained, "When asari reach the Matron stage, we usually start families of our own. When this occurs, we then think of what we would want our daughters to be like. Once we have made that decision, we look for mates that have desirable qualities. In Jursk's case, he is brave, strong willed, loyal, and protective of what he cares about.

"Whether our daughters gain these qualities from the father's DNA or if it is just from interacting with their parent's, I honestly don't know. But I can't deny our daughters have a strong tendency to be like the father in cases where they are raised with them and usually become their mother when the father is not involved in their lives."

Allen nodded his head in understanding, "Alright, I can understand wanting your children to turn out OK, but what about Jursk? Why exactly did he 'accept' your offer?"

Hilrda clarified, "With the genophage plaguing the krogan, it is unlikely that he would ever have children himself. The prospect of having children may have been what pushed him to accept."

Allen went a little further, "So, he married you because he wanted kids? No wait...fuck! I'm so sorry ma'am I-"

Hildra raised her hand to silence him and smiled, "I am not offended. Many do not understand how and why asari chose their mates. You must understand Allen we asari most often do not bond with other beings for love. Because of our long lifespan, unless we bond and have children at a very old age, we and our daughters will outlive our mates by many centuries. It is hard to lose a companion, even harder to lose a person you love dearly. That is not to say some asari do not fall in love and bond, but it is not very common.

"As with Jursk, it may be that he wanted children badly enough to bond with me, but I doubt it. Do not think that I don't love Jursk or that he does not care for me. I was lucky that I found another person that I can grow old with. Most simply can not."

Allen was amazed by these people. They were open, kind, and honest. Sure, the krogan may have nearly killed him, but Allen couldn't blame the reptile for being true to his nature.

Allen spoke, "You know ma'am, you and your family may be the best examples of intelligent life I have ever met."

Hildra chuckled a bit, "Flattery is not necessary Allen. You are already welcome here."

As soon as Hildra finished speaking the pair heard Kara scream out, "What the Fuck are _you _doing here?!"

Allen and Hildra ran out of the kitchen to find Prima standing in the doorway. She wore a dark robe with red stripes down the sleeves.

She had a very angry look on her face when she told Kara, "I could ask you the same thing! When did you get back?"

Kara rose from the couch, biotics flaring, and told her mother with a deadly calm, "I wasn't aware I had to tell you anything anymore _mother."_

Prima began to glow as well, "You watch your tone with me or Goddess help me I'll-"

Herja got up from the couch and walked right in front of the elder asari, "You'll what Prima? What the hell would you do to her? More importantly why? What did she do that's so wrong?"

Prima's voice began to rise, "You spoiled bitch, how dare you-"

Jursk rose and grabbed Prima by the collar, "How dare you speak to my daughter like that! I should kill you now!"

Before this could escalate further Kara stepped in, "No need for that, I'm going out. If this bitch wants to follow me, fine. Otherwise she can rot for all I care."

Kara turned to Herja and gave her a pained look. She then turned to Hildra and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen."

She walked past her mother without a backward look and left the room.

Jursk let Prima go after Kara left the room. She then simply walked toward to the elevator. Hildra called out, "Prima wait. What are you doing here?"

She turned back and answered, "I was going to see if you wanted to do something tonight, but clearly the answer is no." The elevator arrived and she left the room.

Jursk turned to Rota and asked, "Didn't you want to show me that new pistol your sister brought you?" Rota nodded and the two went down the hallway to Rota's room. Hildra just shook her head and went into the kitchen.

Allen went over to Herja, who hadn't moved since she stood up to Prima. He put his hand on her shoulder to try to calm her down. Eventually she relaxed a bit and turned to face him.

She said, "I'm sorry that you had to see that. Kara's situation with her mom hasn't always been the best."

Allen ventured, "Is this something I should know about?"

Herja looked thoughtful for a minute. She eventually nodded and gestured for Allen to sit down. She then went into the kitchen a returned with two asari beers. She sat down next to Allen and opened and finished one before she started talking.

She then said, "You know when I told you I grew up with Kara?" Allen nodded. "Well, I lied."

She opened her other drink and explained, "Kara is 60 years old. I'm 113 Allen. That's enough of an age difference for me to actually be her mother...which is what I consider myself to be."

"What?"

Herja took another sip and explained, "When Prima decided to have a daughter, she couldn't find a bondmate like mom could. Instead she chose to get a match over the extranet. It is overall similar to a human woman finding a sperm donor. She finds a being with desirable traits and they meld. It is over and done in a single encounter. It is actually fairly common among my people as the father will not likely live to see the daughter grow to maturity.

"With no father to help raise her, Prima asked me if I would help with Kara. I did. When she was an infant I changed her diapers, bathed her, fed her. I did everything a mother would. When kara was a little girl, I watched her play with her toys. I played with her, watched children's shows with her, I helped teach her to read.

"When she began to go to school, I helped her with her assignments. I made sure she knew how to properly use her biotics. I introduced her to the more _mature _aspects of life when she was a proper age. I fucking _raised _her Allen. She's why I didn't leave home until I was 113. She was my entire life while I was here with her. "

Ryan understood everything now. All those times Kara had called Herja mom she wasn't really joking. Herja really was Kara's mother.

Allen asked, "Why didn't Prima watch her own daughter herself?"

Herja explained, "Prima is a caseworker for what we asari call 'Lost Children.' Those are the abused, abandoned, and otherwise neglected children in our society. It is uncommon, given how we as a species reproduce, but it does happen. Unfortunately, as it is uncommon, the field she works in has very few people working in it. This meant that Prima was away most nights. That in turn meant I now had a daughter at age 53."

Herja smiled bitterly to herself, "It's pretty ironic actually. A woman who helps Lost Children loses her own child."

She looked at the human, "Now do understand why I want her out of Eclipse so badly Allen? She is my daughter, and I'll be damned if I'll let my own daughter die in front of me!"

"And now you understand what it is I feel every day."

Allen and Herja turned to see Hildra sitting down across from them. Herja started to speak, "Mom, I...I meant..."

Hildra looked at her daughter, "I know what you mean. And I understand. But Herja, are you not being a hypocrite? You deny Kara to do what you are not only doing, but loving?"

"Mom I-"

Hildra continued, "I went along with the idea you becoming a mercenary because I did the exact same thing at your age when I joined the Guard. I did not want you to go. I knew you may be killed, but I said it was a good idea because I didn't think you would see battle and it would have been wrong of me to tell you not to go. I thought I raised you better than this."

Herja looked like she would cry, "Mom, I can't let my daughter die. I won't."

Hildra had an equally grim look on her face, "Then you must make a choice. Either you let her stay and fight and accept that she may not survive. Or, lead by example and quit. Leave this army you joined and come back home. Or go to the Homeworld, or anywhere else. But do not demand from her what you will not do yourself."

Herja breathed out heavily. After a few minutes she said, "OK. OK," she looked up at her mother, "I'll let this go. If she want's to stay in Eclipse, that's her choice and I'll accept it."

Hildra nodded with a sad smile on her face, "That's my precious little girl. Always the brave one."

Composing herself now, Hildra yelled at the top of her lungs, "Jursk! Don't tell me you forgot the desert!" Looking at Herja she asked, "Could you please call Kara and ask her what kind of dessert she would like? Also, If she's near any bakeries, could you ask her to pick something up?"

Herja smiled, nodded, and called her daughter. She returned shortly afterward with some human desserts called 'cupcakes'. Conversation was sparse, and Kara did not make eye contact with anyone except Herja, but Allen had to admit he had a new respect for her. Even he had a more normal relationship with his mother than she did.

_No Allen, she had a perfectly fine relationship with her mom. Herja raised her right. _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Allen set his luggage down against the wall in Herja's room next to the bed and looked around. The room was very spacious and had several windows against the opposite wall from where Allen came in. The bed was against the center of a wall with a small table with a lamp looking object sitting on it. Across from the bed was a closet that stretched from one end of the room to the other and was filled with Herja's clothes.

Allen went over to the end of the room and entered a door near one end of the closet. The door was a piece of metal that had to physically be slid to open, not the automatic ones that were seen in most places in the galaxy. It opened to a wide open and very spacious bathroom. It had light tile floor, a real marble counter with two sinks that were below a giant mirror in the center of a very large counter. On the far right several feet from where Allen entered there was an oval shaped shower with clear glass slides.

_Son of a bitch, these people are loaded. _

Ryan left the restroom to find Herja standing in front of her closet putting her clothes away. Allen questioned in amazement, "Your bathroom is bigger than my apartment back on Omega. How do you guys afford this place?"

Herja shrugged, "Well, with mom's pension from the guard, her salary as a biotics instructor, and as much money as dad brings in, we could actually afford a lot more. This place is actually about average for a home on this planet."

Ryan's jaw dropped. This was an average home for people here? He asked again, "Is every room like this one here?"

Herja finished hanging up her clothes and stated, "Of course." Once she closed the closet she started to unzip her leather outfit.

Allen immediately started to blush and turned around.

Herja asked, "Something wrong Allen?"

Allen didn't look back but answered, "No, just um...it's not exactly _appropriate _in human culture to watch others change clothes."

"I'm only naked, nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, I'm not changing into anything; I sleep naked."

Allen immediately froze at the statement. Kara had taken the only spare bedroom in the apartment. It was awkward enough to be sleeping with Herja in the same building as her parents, even if he was just planning on sleeping. Now he had to sleep next to her, naked, in a small and probably cramped bed.

_How do I get myself into these situations?_

Herja, now out of her clothes, asked, "Are you going to turn around?"

"I'll wait till you get into bed."

Herja sighed, "What is it with you humans and anything having to do with the body?"

Herja laid down and put her covers on, "You can _look _now."

Allen turned and breathed out, "Thanks. I'm sorry, it's just well, we humans tend to associate nudity with well...other things."

"Whatever. Are you going to sleep with me or not?"

Ryan was again not sure how to respond to that when Herja started laughing slightly. She said, "Sorry, I keep forgetting you humans equat everything to sex. Come on, lets just get some rest." She patted the space beside her and scooted over to give Ryan as much space as possible.

Ryan went over, took off his shoes, and got into bed. He used a large portion of his covers to form a barrier between himself and Herja. It was just too awkward for him not too. The asari laughed at that and shut off the lights with a snap of her fingers.

As Allen lay there he had to admit that, despite being small and cramped, it was probably the best bed he had ever been in.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: A very special thank you goes out to authors HugoCogs, WordKrush, and AblatedCrayon for helping me with this chapter. Thank you all so much, you're incredibly helpful! You already know of Hugo, but WordKrush is also an excellent writer. I personally recommend her story 'Quantum Entanglement.' I'll let you find out what that's about. AblatedCrayon also has an amazing story called "My Cause and My Love." This story focuses on Ash and has a bit of a romance twist. You really should read their stories, they're so much better than mine.

Warning: This chapter contains some nudity and adult situation that is slightly descriptive. Still no smut. Sorry.

Chapter Thirteen: A day on Sanves.

Allen awoke the next morning to the sound of water running. He looked over to the spot where Herja had slept and found she was gone. Looking over to the source of the noise Ryan saw that the bathroom door was open. Allen thought about her coming into this room to change. Although the thought of seeing her naked thrilled him, he still wasn't sure it was acceptable.

_What's with me? Why am I being such a child about this?_

Allen thought about that a few seconds. Eventually he came to a conclusion: it was just how he was. Being human, he had a seeming fear of nudity. It was just an odd situation to be in for him. Herja clearly didn't mind being naked and didn't seem to care if he saw her.

_Well, she did say we were lovers. Maybe it's time to actually grow a pair and go for this. _

He went over to his bag that was a few feet away by the wall. He pulled out his toothbrush, toothpaste, and a change of clothes. Allen stood up and realised the water had shut off. As he headed to the bathroom Herja came out just putting the bottom of her shirt across her stomach.

_Better luck next time. _

Herja smiled at Allen, "Good morning. Sleep well?" She wore light tan shorts that came to her mid thigh and a pink shirt with short sleeves.

Ryan returned her smile and warmly said, "With you beside me, how couldn't I?"

Herja chuckled, "Good. You're getting better at that. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

Allen nodded and the asari left the room. Allen entered the large bathroom. He set his clothes on the counter next to a sink and brushed his teeth. Once that was done he looked in at the shower. There was no nozzle. Instead there were simply several holes at the top of the cylinder that the water fell through. On one of the wall in the shower there was a panel that had the settings for how hot you wanted the water and how long the shower would be.

Allen set it for 15 minutes and loved every second of it. Being raised on Omega, he usually barely had enough clean water to drink, let alone take a bath. Being able to wash his body properly and have time to relax afterward was something he would never take for granted. Once the time had run out, Allen exited the shower and put on a brown shirt and blue jeans. After putting his things away in his suitcase, Allen headed into the living room to see the rest of the family already awake and starting the day.

Jursk was sitting in his seat eating the jambalaya like food right out of the container with a large metal spoon. Kara was sitting on the sofa next to the krogan. They were watching an asari newscaster talking something Ryan didn't care about. Rota was sitting at the table taking apart her pistol and polishing the parts.

Allen went into the kitchen and found Herja helping her mom cooking at the stove. The machine looked like a large metal box. It had four squares on the surface to heat pots and pans, just like a human equivalent of it. They seemed to be frying some type of square meet sticks that looked almost like beef jerky.

Allen came up behind Hildra and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help ma'am?"

Hildra turned to face him and smiled, "No. Thank you though. One more thing: please, don't feel like you have to be formal with me. My own soldiers didn't call me ma'am."

Ryan nodded, "OK then, but how should I address you?"

Sighing bit she told him, "Hildra is fine. Come on now, you're my daughters lover! There's no need for such formality. Now go relax in the living room, we'll be out with breakfast soon."

Ryan did as he was told. He came out of the kitchen and looked around for a place to sit down. He could go sit next to Rota, but she seemed busy and he didn't want to bother her. With no other people in the room, Allen sat down next to Kara, the asari on his right and Jursk beyond her.

The Eclipse sergeant looked at his squadmate. She was dressed in a light blue robe with purple sleeves. She nodded to him, "Hey sarge."

"Kara."

She looked down at the floor and breathed out, "I'm sorry you had to see that last night. It's not a part of my-"

Ryan put his hand on her shoulder, "No, I'm sorry you had to be in that position in the first place. Look, I'm not going to be your dad or step-dad or whatever, but Herja's your mom. I'm with her, and more I'm hoping to get to know you better here. I know it may not be my place, but if you want to talk, I'm here. OK? That sounds wierd I'm sure, but...well..."

Kara looked him in the eye with a genuine smile and an appreciative look on her face, "I understand Ryan. Thanks."

A second later Jursk yelled out, "Kara, pyjak, both of you shut up. The story about Shepard's on!"

Rota put her pistol down and ran over to the couch and sat on the opposite side of Ryan. She wore a black shirt and blue pants. The two asari in the kitchen yelled for Jursk to turn up the volume so they could hear, which he did.

Ryan looked to the vid-screen. On it were three beings sitting at a clear glass table: an asari newscaster in a blue and green robe, a black human woman in a brown suit, and a turian in a grey suit.

The asari spoke, "Turning now to the next segment of our program, Shepard: Galactic Spectre or Human Agent? Joining me I have Rebecca Jones, senior political analyst for the Human Alliance and Domician Appius, senior military analyst for the Citadel Council."

The krogan in the room growled at the mere sight of the turian and nearly crushed the food bucket he squeezed it so hard. The spoon was actually bent in half by the reptile. Allen saw this and sat back a bit.

_I hope I never piss him off._

The asari on the screen spoke, "Ms. Jones, Commander Shepard has been seen with several rather unsightly characters recently. Several of whom have been tentatively identified as either terrorists or wanted criminals. Just what exactly is she doing right now?"

The human woman spoke, "Ms. Aelia, thank you for having me on the show. It is true, Commander Shepard has had to work with some rather unpleasant people. As to what her mission is, I think Councilor Anderson's statement was very clear: she's on a mission to stop human colonies from disappearing. Plain and simple."

The asari countered, "But the people she is working with Ms. Jones. Assassins? A human biotic who has killed more people that all other human serial killers in the last 50 years combined? Cerberus agents? I repeat Cerberus Ms. Jones. They have been the worst terror group the galaxy has seen in it's history. And now Shepard is working with them? How are the non-humans of the galaxy to look at this?"

The turian interjected, "Clearly this is just another example of how ill-prepared humanity is for the position it now finds itself in. It's fleets are stretched so thin they can't hold their own territory. Their own military is forced to work with extremists who have no regard for-"

Jursk looked like he might throw his now empty food bucket at the screen. His eyes were bulging and his breath tense and heavy.

He may have lost it if not for the human woman interrupting the turian's interruption, "With respect Mr. Appius, I hardly think humanity is ill-prepared to take on it's new responsibility. Humans now guard the Citadel at the _request _of the other Council Races because they lost too many ships to make up the losses they suffered fighting Saren.

"Human ships protect the border of civilized space from pirates, raiders, and slavers. Councilor Sparatus himself said that the human military is a formidable fighting force. As to working withterrorists Ms. Aelia, perhaps you should check your facts. Commander Shepard, according to Councilor Anderson, spent two years working alone in the Terminus Systems investigating the missing colonies. What she found was that they were being abducted by none other that the Collectors."

The turian said again, "The Collectors are just a myth-"

The human spoke again, "NO, they are Not a myth. The Council even admitted as much. In fact, the only reason, again on Anderson's words, that Shepard is working with such groups is that these are the only people who _can _work with her. You are right about one thing, the Alliance is spread very thin. We as a species can't afford to send a full fleet in to stop this threat. If we could, I assure you we would."

"But Shepard is working with _human supremacists _to solve _human problems. _What if turian colonies were vanishing? Would she strive to help them as well?"

The human woman shrugged, "I have no reason to believe she wouldn't. Have you forgotten that she stopped Saren, a rogue Spectre, and Matriarch Benezia, a traitor to her people and accomplice of Saren? Both of them were responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands during the Eden Prime war."

"They were both non-humans! I have no reason to believe a human would ever care about anything that didn't-" the screen shut off.

Herja yelled out, "Honorless fucking coward!"

Jursk nodded at his eldest, "Damn right they all are! How dare they insult Shepard? What do they know of war or sacrifice?"

Ryan looked at the group. Hildra stood at the table with a look on her face to match her bondmate's. Every other asari seemed to be in agreement.

Ryan stated, "So you all support Shepard I guess?"

Herja looked at him dead in the eye, "You don't?"

Allen shrugged, "Honestly, if she's going to fight Collectors, I wish I was there with her. I hope she knows what she's getting into. Collectors are _very _dangerous. She'll need all the help she can get."

Kara asked, "So you think the Collectors are real?"

Ryan clarified, "I don't think, I know. I grew up on Omega. We saw their ships all the time. We knew they were real years before colonies started to disappear. Hell, I even saw them a few times on Omega. They scare the hell out of me to be honest."

Hildra said as she pointed to the table, "Good. Now that that's settled, why don't we eat?"

The group headed to the table and sat down and put the food on their plates. Most of it was fried meats, but there was fruit available as well. It came in a variety of shapes and colors. Some of them were packed with juices. Ryan loved them all.

Hildra spoke up and asked what their plans were for the day. Rota and her dad were going to go to the closest firing range and test out the latest guns they had. Kara would go to the local theater. There were a few asari and human plays being performed she wanted to see.

Hildra turned her attention to Allen and Herja, "And what of you two?"

Allen said, "I don't really know what there is to do here to be honest."

Herja suggested, "Why don't we head down to Fight Club. The first few matches should be starting soon."

Allen looked at her and asked, "Fight Club? Do I even want to go there?"

Herja just grinned, "Oh, you're going to go there. Whether you come back out is another story altogether."

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Allen walked beside Herja down a street that was thick with asari. Though it was still early in the morning, the star was high enough that it was no longer in Allen's eyes all the time. The air was cool, wind blowing slightly against Allen's face. The sky was cloudless. Today was a good day on Sanves.

Allen asked in amazement, "Your mom _knows _Liara T'Soni?"

Herja said plainly, "I don't know if she knows her now, but she did. T'Soni studied here at the local university mom teaches at before she transferred to Serrice. She said Liara was one of the most gifted biotics she has ever met.

"When mom heard a Matriarch on the news suggest Liara may be involved in her mother's treason on our vid-screen, she blew it up. She then went on an hour long rant on how Liara was the sweetest, nicest, most kind asari she had ever met. How she could never harm anyone. How she could never lie even to save her life. In case you can't tell, mom really liked Liara."

Ryan nodded, "That explains why you guys like Shepard so much. So where is this place exactly?"

Herja pointed ahead of them, "Right there."

Allen followed her finger. The building was a large and thick onyx hexagon several stories tall. Above the front entrance was a large picture of a blue fist covered in purple blood. No words advertised the building, just the picture. Ryan found that a bit odd but at the same time appropriate for a 'fight club.' The two headed to the building, several asari and a few humans entering as they did so.

Herja grabbed Allen's arm and pulled him off to the right when they were about 50 yards away, "I know a better way to get in. This way."

She went around the building to a small back alley. She lead the way and soon after they entered the alley they came to a small door. Herja opened it and they entered the building. The room they entered was a small locker room. It had several asari in leather outfits stretching and practicing their forms from their martial arts. Some of the moves Allen recognised as ones Herja would often do.

The asari all smiled and waved at Herja. Some of them called out her name. One of them, a purple asari who was as tall as Herja, came over and hugged the Eclipse officer.

The unknown asari said after she let Herja go, "Herja, by the Goddess! How have you been? More importantly who's this man you brought with you?"

Herja said to Allen, "Allen this is Valkyrie O'Rada. She runs the matches and decides who wins the fight if it's too close for the judges in the audience to call."

Valkyrie looked to Herja and asked, "So, let me guess, you want a match? It'll be good to see you in action again. You can have any fight you want, just pick-"

Herja raised her hand and cut her fiend off, "Sorry Val, I'm not fighting today. I just thought it would be fun to take my lover out and show him where I learned to kick his ass."

Valkyrie looked over Allen again, "Lover huh? You always did pick the odd ones." Turning back to the asari she said, "Anyway, no problem with those seats. But next time you're here, I want to see you in that cage. Got it?"

Herja grinned widely, "Just try to keep me out."

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Herja sat down next to Allen in the VIP box of the club. The room was small, only equipped to handle 10 people at a time. Herja's friend had gotten them the room to themselves. It looked over the arena below, providing a perfect view to the rest of the building below.

In the hexagon below two asari in leather outfits were entering on opposite sides of the ring. The cage was many yards across and had a metal fence for a wall. The building was filled with asari and human spectators. The sight of it all made Herja smile. She was definitely home.

Allen tapped on her shoulder and asked how she knew the official here. Herja smiled and answered, "When I was about 78 my mom suggested I start coming here. I knew I wanted to become a huntress, and that meant learning how to fight. This place has it's own training program, amatur and profesional league. Didn't take long before I was down there in that cage getting my ass beat by maidens three times my age."

Allen shook his head, "It's hard to imagine you getting beaten."

Herja said, "We are all defeated Allen. The difference is between the strong and the useless is how often they get back up. Every time I was beaten I trained harder, practiced more, and in a few years, I was in the amature league."

Allen inquired how good she was. With no pride or arrogance she said, "I was undefeated my last 10 years before I left home."

"You said they had a professional league? Why didn't you join that?"

Herja explained, "I was thinking about it, but then I met that Eclipse commando. You know how that turned out."

Allen nodded and Valkyrie came to the center of the arena from one of the corners the fighters came in from.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the Ultimate Fight Club!"

The crowed roared and the asari continued, "You all know the score, the randomly selected judges in the audience vote on the winner. If they tie, I say who wins. Rules are simple: No biotics, no eye gouging. Other than that, anything goes. Let's fight!"

Allen asked as the crowed roared again, "Why no biotics? Isn't that like fighting with one hand tied behind your back?"

Herja clarified, "Some asari just aren't gifted with biotics Allen. Sure, the weakest asari is 100 times as powerful as the best biotic from any other species, but against an asari who has a significant advantage over her? She wouldn't last very long in a fight. Also, biotics are dangerous Allen. The slightest accident could kill one or both fighters."

Allen nodded in understanding and the two watched as the fight started below.

The two asari, one significantly darker in skin tone then the other, walked slowly towards each other. When they were about four feet apart they bowed slightly, each watching the other closely. When they rose, they took defensive stances and waited for the other to make the first move.

After a few seconds, the lighter one attacked. She stepped forward and kicked at the darker asari's leg. The darker one quickly fell back and took up another stance. The lighter one pressed forward with another kick to her opponent's center mass. The darker asari caught the kick and through the lighter asari across the hexagon.

The light asari quickly stood up and regained her composure. She slowly advanced on her adversary. Soon light was within a few feet of Dark, who held strong in a defensive stance. Light attempted several jabs to Dark's face, all of the swept aside easily. As she deflected the last of them, Dark charged at light, grabbing her neck with her arm. She then kicked out Lights legs, forcing her to the ground.

Light elbowed Dark several times in the ribs, eventually distracting her opponent enough to free herself. The two were soon standing again, but neither were playing games any longer. Dark swung towards Light and hit her several times in the face. Light grabbed Dark's shoulders and hit her in the stomach with her knee. Dark toppled over and Light put her in a choke hold.

Dark struggled against Light's grip. She tried to squeeze out, but her opponent was too strong. She tried to attack and distract Light, but she couldn't find the correct angle to do so. Eventually she started to push on Light's arm. She managed to force it up enough so that is was close to her mouth. She bit down on Light's arm.

Light yelled out in pain and Dark was released. Light quickly forgot her pain and stood to face Dark. Their faces were the embodiment of rage and ferocity. Eyes judged the one before them.

Light feigned several kicks against Dark, but she didn't budge. Light then through several punches against Dark, who just swatted them away as she retreated towards a wall. Light saw an opportunity; she increased the ferocity and speed of her punches in an effort to drive Dark against the wall or put her into a corner.

Dark saw the rate at which Light increased her attacks. A grin appeared on her face. As one of Light's arms stretched out, Dark caught it with her hand. She then pulled Light toward her and punched her in the ribs. The attack halted, Dark pulled Light to the center of the arena. Still holding to Light, She punched her several times in the stomach. Light hunched over, but was forced up by Dark and shoved in the chest so hard she was knocked against the cage wall. She went forward a few feet but then stopped herself. Dark then came in front of her wielding a kick so fast the audience could barely see Dark wasn't using biotics.

Just centimeters before it would have impacted Light's face, Dark stopped and held her leg in the air. Light looked at Dark and understood. She nodded and bowed to Dark.

Valkyrie came into the arena and put Dark's bruised and bloodied hand into the air, "Winner!"

Herja looked down from her seat with a smile on her face as the two asari bowed to each other. _Maybe I will go down there._

Allen asked, "How is that one the winner? I don't get it. The other asari was still standing. Shouldn't they have continued?"

Herja shook her head, "The winner was decided. It's a matter of honor Allen."

"What do you mean?"

Herja looked to him and explained, "The purpose of this club is not meaningless violence Allen, it's about improving yourself and your own abilities. Many who train here don't ever even fight. Even when we do, we never humiliate or do any real harm to another fighter.

"It is better to defeat your opponent and leave her honor intact then to destroy her and leave her with nothing. If you have no respect for others, why should you be respected? Down there the winner was decided and further violence would solve nothing. Both fought their hardest and even the loser can take pride in that. Do you understand Allen?"

Ryan looked thoughtful for a few minutes before saying, "Yeah. I think I do."

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Herja and Allen walked down the street to a large grey spire that was the local vid-theater. After watching a few more fights, the pair had left the club out of fear they may never leave to go do anything else. The sun was much higher in the sky now, probably late in the morning. A few clouds were in the sky and it was more humid than it was a few hours before.

Herja and Allen entered the spire. It was tall, square, and rather bulky in some spots. Directly in front of them was a red counter where some asari were catering to orders from other movie goers. On the left was a dark hall that had several doors with labels beside them behind a holographic VI that looked similar to the one on the Citadel. On the wall to the right there was several posters showing what films were currently playing. Herja and Allen walked over to see the selection.

As she walked down the line of posters she stopped and pointed to one that had two beautiful asari, who were in a bed together, and suggested, "They're showing Vaenia. Would you want to go see that?"

She looked back to Ryan, who was blushing slightly and looked rather uncomfortable. "Vaenia? You guys have movies like Vaenia in your regular theaters?"

Herja tilted her head slightly in confusion, "Of course we do Allen? Why wouldn't we?"

"Well, most human movie places don't have pornographic films playing in them."

Herja asked in shock, "What? Pornographic? Allen do you even know what the movie is about?"

Allen looked away from her, "Well, no. I just saw a scene or two from it and...um...well..."

Herja covered her face with her hand, "By the Goddess, what is it with you humans?"

Recomposing herself Herja explained the actual plot of the film. It was about two asari who meet in a bar on the Citadel, get very drunk, and go to the nearest hotel. When they had finished, they started to talk to and learn about each other. One was a model who was attending her sister's wedding on the station. The other was an engineer and an amature inventor who was there for some conference about one of her latest inventions.

As the movie progressed, the two learn more about each other. The model and her sister had a batarian father who was highly abusive in every possible way. This had created a strong bond between the sisters, but they hadn't talked to their mother since they left their home. The inventor was bonded to a turian and had one daughter, but had lost another in childbirth. There was nothing that could be done. Even with the best medical technology, sometimes tragic things happen. Both of them realizing how damaged the other is, they begin to fall in love.

At the end of the movie, the inventor asks the model to be with her. She says she loves her. The model says that she loves the inventor as well, but they can't be together. They both have real lives and can't just pretend that is is some fantasy with no consequences. Eventually, the inventor accepts the model's words. The final scene of the movie is of the two exiting the hotel and walking away from each other.

Herja commented, "Yes, it has sex scenes. Yes, most of the time the two asari in the movie are naked. Yes, this film may only further the stereotype of ''asari are sluts;" but is also a _romance _film. The two asari go from just having intercourse in the beginning of the film to actually _joining _in the final love scene. That is never something done lightly Allen.

"It's not about the sex, it's about the feelings of two damaged people as they try to find some happiness together. I don't know why you humans instantly think just because a movie has sex in it it is instantly pornograhic. It just doesn't make any sense."

Allen said in a slightly embarrassed voice, "Sorry I umm..."

He went over to the rows and looked for a movie they would both like. He looked at one poster, the genre it was listed under, and suggested it. Herja looked over at the title of the film: _Tashan. _It said it was an action film from nearly 200 years ago on Earth.

_Why not?_

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Herja sat next to Allen in the viewing section of the theater. The two had not gotten any snacks and had just gone straight for the right room. Several seats were filled with asari as the movie began to play. The room was very wide but only a few rows deep. The movie began and Herja looked to the screen.

It began with a man in the seat of what appeared to be some kind of vehicle. Even more strange, the vehicle appeared to be _underwater. _He then began to speak...in the direction of the camera...to the audience?

Herja was confused and asked Allen in a whisper, "Is that guy talking to _us_?"

Allen told her, "It's called 'breaking the fourth wall.' It's basically...well... I don't know how to explain it, but it happens in some Earth movies."

Herja turned back to the movie. The man who was in the vehicle explained how he came to be in this situation. He was a telecommunications operator who was also a teacher for a human language called English. He was a 'playboy' and wanted to meet a woman who he could have a real relationship with. He then met a gorgeous woman who asked him if he offered private lessons. He accepted, but the lessons were not for her, but her boss.

Herja was not bored, but this movie wasn't catching her interest so far. Still, Allen seemed to be enjoying it, so she stayed quiet and continued to watch the film.

The woman's boss, apparently a money lender, was attempting to learn to speak a new language for a 'meeting' he had. Allen laughed several times when he butchered everything he said in this English language. When he gave a speech, which seemed to be a rant about nothing except maybe his mother, Herja was forced to laugh.

Eventually the man and the woman, who seemed to have fallen in love by this point, plan to steal a large amount of money from their boss. The plan succeeded, but the man was betrayed by the woman. She only used him to help her take the money and ran off. Even worse for the playboy, the man they stole from was actually a very dangerous crime boss. When the crime boss found out who stole his money, he had a local hoodlum find the Playboy and have him go with the Hood to get the Cheater and get the money back.

Herja was very confused by this point. At one point in the film the Playboy and the Cheater woman had fallen in love in the middle of some rainstorm, and then were in another place _entirely. _Not only that, they were in different outfits, surrounded by haman dancers in just plain weird clothes, and started to _sing and dance! _

_What the fuck is going on here? _

At this point Herja was only still here out of sheer curiosity as to what would happen next. Eventually the movie came to the scene that the film opened with. The two men had been driving across the planet in a 'car.' Eventually they got into a fight and had driven themselves into a river.

At some point the movie went back to the Cheater. She had, again with no preamble like in asari musicals, started to sing and song was about how she was a cheater and stole what she wanted. She even warned whoever she was talking to not to 'look at her like that.' Herja had to admit that although this movie was impossible to follow, it had some very good music.

The two men sent by the Crime Boss eventually found the Cheater. The Cheater and the Playboy come up with a plan to get out of the situation they are in, which involves the woman seducing the Hoodlum.

Herja looked to Allen, "Do you have any idea where this is going?"

Allen shook his head, "Not really. Do you want to leave?"

"Hell no. I want to see what happens."

They turned back to the screen and the movie continued. After the woman lead the two men to the first spot where she hid the money she took, the Crime Boss also arrived. Unfortunately, so did the police. A long and very violent battle soon occurred between them and the Crime Boss' forces.

_Finally some action!_

After the police were all dead, the Cheater, Playboy, and Hoodlum continued to gather the money the Cheater had taken. After a while, the Hoodlum and Cheater were alone and began to talk about their pasts. They actually knew each other as children and grew up in the same neighborhood. They even had been lovers!

Herja couldn't believe these humans. They made impossible to follow movies, but they had the same elements asari movies had: star-crossed lovers, action, romance, very complicated plot lines, music, she couldn't believe it!

After finding out who the other was, the Hoodlum and Cheater actually and truly fell in love and another music sequence began. As the group gathered the last of the stolen money the Hoodlum told the Cheater and the Playboy that he was told he had to kill them when this was done. He then left the two with the money.

Herja was now very much enjoying the movie and had started to hold Allen's hand. A gesture that he returned.

After the Hoodlum drove away from them, the Playboy made a confession: he had switched out the money and loaded the bags with rocks. The two immediately returned to the Crime Boss' main base to rescued their companion. As they arrived, the got the Hoodlum out of the building where he was being tortured and fought and killed all the Crime Boss' men and the Boss himself. The film ended happily with the Playboy returning to his old ways and the Cheater and the Hoodlum being married.

Herja smiled at the ending. She decided this was a good movie.

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Herja and Ryan walked out of the theater. The sky had a growing number of clouds in it now. Herja felt the wind pick up and noticed it was more humid outside than it was when she had entered the building.

_Probably gonna rain tonight. _

Allen asked as they walked down the street, "So, did you like the movie?"

Smiling Herja replied, "I did. The movie didn't make sense some of the time, but damn if it didn't have good music."

Herja began to hum the tune of her favorite song from the movie as she and Ryan walked hand in hand down the fairly crowded street. She looked at the sky, the star shining down on the city through the clouds making the buildings shine. She looked over to Allen, who was staring at her with a grin on his face.

"What?"

Allen told her, "You're humming."

"So? Asari hum sometimes. What about it?"

Allen rubbed the back of his neck, "I think it's one of the songs from the movie. You know, Chalia?"

Herja corrected, "No, it's called Chaliya. Did you like the song?"

Allen nodded, "Yeah."

Herja grinned, she had an idea. "You want to hear it again?"

Allen let go of her hand and just looked at her. "Wait, you can sing?"

Herja smiled and stepped a few feet in front of him. She took a deep breath and sang out the opening lyrics.

"Chhaliya chhaliya chhaliya. Ruh churalo mein hu aisi chhaliya."

She turned so the the right side of her body was facing Allen but still turned her head to face him. She shook her hips in the same way the woman did in the movie and repeated the chorus.

"Chhaliya chhaliya chhaliya. Ruh churalo mein hu aisi chhaliya."

She turned so that the front of her body was facing Ryan and shifted her shoulders and arms so the top half of her body was moving while her legs remained still.

"Oos lehar hu, dhoop sehar hu. Baath mehar hu bach ke jayega kahan."

She then moved so that her side was turned to Allen again and began to wave her fingers as if to warn him of something.

"Na lada na lada tu ankh na lada. Don't look at me like that mahi. Na lada na lada tu ankh na lada. Don't look at me like that boy."

She sang the last two lines again, with each word stepping closer to Ryan swaying her hips.

"Na lada na lada tu ankh na lada. Don't look at me like that boy." She stopped only an inch or two in front of Allen, her face brought down an inch or two so her face was right in front of hers. She had her hands on her hips, which were slightly tilted.

Allen looked at the asari in front of him. She looked even more attractive than usual to him. And there she was, smiling, practically posing for him.

_Just go for it you dumb fuck. _

Allen tried, but just couldn't move. He didn't know why, but he didn't grab Herja by the neck and slam her face into his like he wanted to. Instead he just stood there for a few seconds, mouth agape.

Eventually he got the strength to say, "Damn Herja...you should have..." Allen sighed and composed himself, "You should have been a dancer or a singer."

The asari started to laugh as she stood up straight and retook Allen's hand, "Maybe, but then I wouldn't have meet you. Besides, singing really isn't my thing."

Allen asked, "What is _your thing _then?"

With a smile on her face she answered, "In the words of my dad, 'Fucking shit up.'"

Allen chuckled and they continued down the street.

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Allen and Herja exited the skycar as it touched down on a small flat spot of green grass. Herja had suggested he two go outside the city to show Allen just how beautiful the planet could be. Allen thought it was a great idea and they rented a car for a few hours. The two left the car and traveled up a small hill that was only a few feet away.

As they came over the crest of the hill, Ryan took in the view. For as far as he could see, there was nothing but wide open country. A few clumps of dark green trees and bushes dotted the horizon. Large, rolling hills went on and on. Small herds of herbivores roamed in the distance. Allen remembered his mother telling him how beautiful Earth was once, before it became one giant city.

_This must be what she meant. It's amazing how just simple land can be so beautiful. _

Herja stood beside Allen and took his hand, looked over and smiled at him. She tugged his arm and she lead him over to sit under a large tree. The plant provided cover from the sun, though it wouldn't be needed for much longer. The sky was getting darker as more clouds filled the sky. Ryan knew it would rain soon.

He and his lieutenant just sat down and looked out at nature for a long while. Eventually Ryan spoke up, "You know, mom always talked about going back to Earth, or Eden Prime, anywhere with land available. She always talked about getting a farm and some animals. She loved animals, especially horses. She always talked about how smart, beautiful, and strong they are."

He looked over at the asari, "Puts me in mind of someone else I know."

Herja's cheeks actually seemed to get slightly darker at that, "Your mother sounded like a good woman. I wish I could have met her."

"She would have loved you. I know that for a fact."

He turned back to the fields, "So, there's a lot of land available on this planet?"

Herja shook her head, "Not really. The government restricts how much land is settled every year. You have to go through a lot of work to get any land on an asari world. The reason we as a species have so many colonies is that we preserve the natural beauty of each planet we settle on for as long as possible."

Ryan nodded, "I see. But you allow people to come out here and enjoy the view?"

Herja smiled, "Exactly. We enjoy the wonder of every planet we have. I remember when Kara was a little girl I would take her out here all the time."

She pointed to the hills in the distance, "You see those hills? Kara and I used to run from here to those to see who could run the fastest. I let her win until she could actually challenge me."

"So who is the best runner?"

Herja looked down with a shameful grin on her face, "Kara. I have to admit though I did give her plenty of practice. I used to chase her all over my house whenever she did something bad. Which was pretty often."

She looked to Ryan, "Now she still does some pretty bad things and I can't catch her."

Allen put his hand on her shoulder, "You did a fine job raising her. She'll be OK. We'll make sure of that."

She nodded to him and looked back to the fields. "Do you ever wonder of the future Allen?"

The human shook his head, "Too busy worried about the present. Why?"

She took a deep breath, "I've been thinking about the future. About where _we _might go. I know I've said this before but-"

"Stop."

Herja looked to Allen, "What?"

Allen just sighed, "Please Herja, just stop this. I'm tired of it. I don't want to talk about what we might have, I want to _have it."_

Herja defended, "I know, I'm merely telling you how I feel."

Allen nodded, "And I'm telling you the same. Herja, we don't have to figure all this out now. You know that, right?"

"I'm an asari Allen. We like to plan ahead."

The man nodded, "And I'm a human. We make shit up as we go and hope for the best."

Herja sighed and Allen continued, "Look, if we have a future, let's let it come to us. I want a home and a family one day Herja. I think I want one with you. But I'm not saying lets get married right now. I'm not telling you I want kids right now. Is this a good place to live? As far as I can tell yes, but I'm not looking at apartments right now am I?

"All I'm saying Herja is I want to be with you now. If things work out, that will be the best thing to ever happen in my life. If not, then like you said, we'll still be friends. If we ever want kids together, then we'll talk about that at the right time. There's no need to always be thinking of the future when we may not live to see it anyway."

The asari looked to him, "Then you are fine with what we have now? No future plans other than vague prospects and maybes?"

Allen said, "That's about right. Like I said, I know what I want. I just don't want to make it happen now like you seem to want to. I want to focus on us right now, and worry about the rest later. Can you do that please?"

Herja focused on the fields, on the darkening sky, on her own feelings. Could she do that? She didn't know. Asari always look ahead to the future because at some points it will arrive and directly affect them unlike most other species. Even if things worked out between her and Allen, what about kids? Would any children they have even really get to know their father? Did she even want more kids?

_I raised one daughter and that was the hardest thing I've ever done. Aside from watching her become a mercenary. I don't know if I could go through that again. _

She raised Kara mostly on her own. Mom was usually at work, as was her dad. When Rota was born, her parents had to focus all their time on her. Worse, Herja was an adult now. Before she didn't have to worry about things like bills and food. Then again, she would have Allen to help her. And she did make _a lot _of money being a mercenary.

_Fuck it. Allen's right. I'm done thinking about the future. What good does planning do anybody anyway? I don't know of any plan that ever worked out. _

After a few minutes Herja looked Allen in the eyes and smiled, "Yes Allen, I can do that."

Smiling, the two looked out into the distance. Allen reached over and put his hand on hers. Herja gripped it, and held on tightly.

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Allen followed Herja into the restaurant and surveyed the interior. The room was brightly lit, wide open, and was sparsely filled with tables. The walls were a light tan color and there was a door in the back of the room that seemed to go to a reserved section. There was a line on booths along the walls. Most of the seats were full, but Herja managed to find a booth that was available. Herja lead Allen to their seats and sat down.

Allen asked as he took his seat, "So, we just come in and sit down? No showing us where to sit? Nothing?"

Herja answered, "Yeah. Most asari places are like this. Don't worry, a waitress will find us eventually."

Sure enough, an asari waitress soon came and took orders for their drinks and left.

Allen asked Herja as the server left, "You're not going to drink another bottle of whatever that stuff was on the Citadel, are you?"

Herja grinned back, "I don't know. Maybe. So what looks good to you?"

Allen looked on the table and found a data pad containing the menu. He didn't recognise anything on it, so Herja said that she would just order for him. She placed the order when the server came back with the drinks.

When the waitress left again Herja asked what Ryan thought of her family.

Ryan smiled and answered, "Well, you already know I love your daughter. Your mom is pretty nice, so I like her a lot already. Your sister...I'm not sure about. I think she may need to tone it down a bit with the amount of violence she seems to be comfortable with.

"I mean, she was screaming obscenities at the vid screen all after dessert last night when we were watching that fight. Doesn't that bother anyone else?"

Herja laughed and shook her head, "Rota's more of a handful then Kara ever was. At least she didn't get expelled for fighting four times before she graduated the first tier of schooling."

Allen asked in disbelief, "Four times? I can't believe that."

"Believe it. The only reason she's even still in public school is because my mom threatened to kill the principal if she didn't accept Rota back in."

Ryan let out a small laugh, "You're joking."

Herja shook her head, "No I'm not. I didn't just get my protective streak from my dad you know."

Allen rubbed his neck a bit, "Yeah...your dad...Could I ask you so-"

"For Goddess sake Allen, just ask the damn question."

Allen asked her, "Was it hard growing up with a krogan as a dad? I mean, that had to mean you dealt with a lot of fighting growing up."

Herja replied, "Not at all. Dad's the best. I never once got yelled at or punished by him."

Ryan stared at her, "There wasn't any fighting? No headbutting? Throwing shit around? Gunfights? No nothing?"

Herja shook her head, "Not really. Dad has never been violent to my family. He actually had some reservations about me deciding to become a huntress if you can believe that."

"Didn't you say he thought it was a good idea for you to become a mercenary?"

Herja nodded, "Yes, but that was after mom and he had a talk about it. You have to understand krogan Allen. They don't have many children, so all the offspring they have are important. Even more so if they are female. While I'm not a krogan, I'm a fertile female, so I'm instantly the most important thing to my dad along with Rota.

"Females on Tuchanka who are fertile may be treated like property, but they are the most _valuable _property in the universe to the krogan. Without them, the entire species would die. So, with that in mind, I hope you can forgive dad if he is a bit more _protective _of me than a human might be."

Allen nodded, "I understand. Humans get very protective of their young women as well. It's kind of a weird double standard really. It's usually accepted, possible even expected, for males to go out and party and have a _good time _while the women are supposed to not get into any kind of trouble."

Herja asked, "What about the men who get the women into trouble? Aren't they just as responsible as the women?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, but like I said, we have wierd double standards when it comes to society."

Herja commented as the waitress brought them their food, "I'm glad my people are different. At least we can go out and enjoy ourselves and not have anybody judge us."

The two ate their food, neither saying anything. There was nothing to say. They were comfortable with each other and didn't need to talk to know the other was enjoying themselves.

As they walked out of the building it began to rain. It was slow at first, so they didn't try to hurry to the car, which was parked several yards away. Then it began to rain harder and heavier. It seemed as is the bottom had fallen out of the sky. Allen and Herja couldn't see more than a few feet in front of them and were soon completely soaking wet. Eventually they made it to the car and went home.

When they arrived at the apartment building they again had to cross several feet of open ground before entered the building and went straight for Herja's apartment. In the elevator ride Allen couldn't help himself from looking at the asari next to him. The water had made her shorts stick to her legs like another layer of skin. The rain had matted down her shirt, all but showing off her chest. Ryan was having a difficult time not pouncing on Herja, but somehow they made it back to the correct floor without an incident.

When they walked through the door Herja saw a data pad and walked over to read it, Allen again admiring her body. After a second or two he finally asked what it said.

Herja replied, "It's a note from mom. Rota and dad won't be back till late, Kara's still not back yet, and she went to go smooth things over with Prima."

She then gestured towards her room, "Come on, lets get out of these clothes."

They entered Herja's room, the asari going straight for her closet. She took off her shirt, revealing her bare dark blue back. Allen watched as she then removed her shorts, showing off her toned backside.

Allen's cheeks reddened slightly, but he didn't look away this time. He watched her as she looked through her closet.

Allen asked, "Why are looking for more clothes?"

Herja didn't even glance back, "It's only about 1900 Allen. I wasn't planning on going to bed yet."

Allen took a deep breath. _That's about to change. _

He walked up behind her, summoned all his strength and courage, and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to face him, her nipples still hard, her skin still damp.

"What is it Allen?"

_Here we go. _

He reached up to the back of her head, and brought her head gently to his and kissed her. It was small and simple at first, then grew. He kissed her with all he had. He used all of his strength. He moved every muscle he could to try to get this right. He eventually stopped only when his lungs started to burn. He reluctantly pulled away and looked into her eyes.

There was not the excitement he had hoped to see. Only shock. Her light purple eyes were wide, as if having witnessed some horrible event. Her mouth was open. She looked as if to say something, but didn't. Allen looked to the floor.

"Sorry. I...I thought that...I'm so-"

He was interrupted by Herja's face meeting his. Herja grabbed his cheeks and her lips slammed into his. Her tongue forced its way into his mouth after a few moments of the fiercest kissing Allen had ever had. Once their lips parted again Herja grabbed the bottom of Allen's shirt and practically threw it off of him.

They started back towards the bed, Allen backing up while he massaged Herja's ass with one hand and rubbed her back with another. When they reached the foot of the bed Herja went for the zipper on his pants.

With a smirk on her face she asked in a husky voice, "What took you so long? I was beginning to wonder if you were even a male."

Allen replied, "Waiting for the right time." He helped Herja remove his pants.

Now both naked, they laid down on the bed, Herja straddling Ryan. The human massaged the asari's left brest while he rubbed her neck folds with his other hand. Herja grabbed the man's chest and held a hand to his cheek. Allen then went down and kissed Herja's breasts, generating a moan from the asari.

After a few seconds Herja sighed and asked, "Are you ready?"

Allen moaned slightly in response. The asari on top of him then kissed him fully on the lips again before pulling away, eyes closed.

After a second she opened her now obsidian eyes, "Embrace Eternity!"

Allen's entire world faded away.

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Allen Ryan awoke the next morning, his arms around his asari lover. She had her back to him, her crest less than an inch from his face. Allen took a few moments to wake up then remembered what had happened last night.

_God...last night was...amazing. _

When Herja melded with him, he was no longer in a bed anymore. Allen didn't actually know where he was. He didn't see, but he knew where he and Herja were. He didn't see or hear anything, but he knew if someone made a sound or moved. Everything he felt, he felt Herja feel. He felt all of what she did. He couldn't really describe the sensation. All he knew is that yesterday was probably the best day of his life.

He lay there on the bed, arms wrapped tightly around the asari for a few more minutes. He eventually slowly got up from the bed and kissed her on the cheek before heading to the bathroom.

Allen was in the shower when he saw Herja come in, still naked, and brushed her teeth. She then entered the shower with Ryan not saying anything. She just gave him a smile and a nod as she came in and shut the screen. She grabbed a bottle of body wash and began to clean herself. Allen just stood back and watched her.

Eventually Allen spoke up, "Um, good morning."

Herja glanced over, "Good morning Allen."

The human awkwardly asked, "So...um last night...I was um OK? Right?"

Herja asked as she finished washing herself, "Did you enjoy yourself?" Allen nodded, "Then you have your answer. If I was not pleased, you would have felt it Allen. Don't worry, it's not like I expect you to be as experienced as the other lovers I have had."

Allen knew Herja was more probably _experienced_ than he was simply by the fact that she was nearly 100 years older than him, but still wasn't completely comfortable with the comment. He seemed to shrink a bit, but Herja comforted him.

"Don't worry, I truly did have fun last night Allen."

Ryan looked at her, "Fun? Herja last night wasn't fun to me it was...um. Humans...we.._.I _only sleep with people I care about. Yes, it was fun but also it meant something to me. You mean something to me-"

Heja interrupted, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was you were fine. Remember Allen, asari do not think that sex is only for two people who love each other like most human cultures seem to. You mean a lot to me too Allen. I hope you know that now."

He nodded, "I do. I'm just also a bit worried how I'm supposed to face your family now."

"Why?"

Allen looked away and nervously said, "Well, after last night...well..."

Herja said with a confused look on her face, "Last night changes nothing Allen. My family already knew you and I are lovers."

"Yeah, but we hadn't slept together yet."

Herja sighed and shook her head, "Perhaps sex is a requirement in human culture, but for asari you do not need to have sex for two people to be lovers. I assure you my family won't care. They trust me. Mom really likes you. Dad is even OK with you. It's fine. Really Allen."

The two quickly finished showering, dried off, and headed into the living room. Allen wore a white shirt and blue jeans while Herja wore a purple shirt with dark red pants. As Allen came into the room, he saw Kara helping Rota clean and take apart a Claymore shotgun on the table. Jursk was sitting in his recliner, apparently asleep.

Allen looked to see if Herja thought the situation with the shotgun was something to worry about, but she just went straight to the kitchen. Allen shrugged, waved to his squad mate, who returned the gesture, and followed Herja. In the kitchen Hildra was by the stove cooking some type of bread like substance in a skillet. He went over to the older asari and asked what it was.

Hildra looked at him and smiled, "It's called camadia. It's a popular asari breakfast food similar to human pancakes. You see those fruits over on the counter?" she asked as she pointed to the multi colored fruit on a nearby table. "We cut those and squeeze the juices onto the bread. It gives it a very distinct flavor."

She put the pancake like items onto a plate and asked Allen to carry them out to the table. He gladly did so, leaving Herja and her mother alone.

Hildra asked her daughter, "Did you talk with him about the future?"

Herja nodded, "I did, but he said not to think about it now. He and I are just going to be together for now and worry about the future later."

Hildra smiled, "Good. That would probably be the best thing you can do. Now, go and make sure your sister and Kara are putting that thing together _properly _this time. I don't want to find a missing piece on the floor two days from now."

Herja nodded and went to leave. Before she went into the other room she stopped and turned around.

"One more thing mom: he really _did _meet Aria T'Loak."

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Kara stood at the docking bay of the spaceport, suitcase in hand. Asari passed her group by and boarded the shuttle bound for the Citadel. She wore a purple robe with blue stripes. She stood with Allen and Herja on her right and Hildra, Jursk, and Rota in front of them. Shore leave was over and Herja's parents were talking to them before they left to go back. Kara and the others felt refreshed, and Herja and Allen getting together had made Kara happy for her mom. Ryan was a good man and he and Kara had gotten closer these past two weeks.

Hildra approached her daughter and said, "Now I expect regular calls from all of you. Don't get hurt, and for the love of the Goddess, come home again. Please."

Herja nodded and hugged her mother. Hildra then hugged Kara and then Allen to the human's surprise. Jursk was the next to step forward.

"Just remember one thing out there you three: If you must die, then do so with valor. It is better to die fighting than on your knees begging-"

Hildra scolded him, "Jursk! They will NOT die!"

Kara just shook her head. _Krogan. Always thinking they can't show any emotions other than anger. _Kara knew the reptile, he was basically her grandfather after all. Jursk was terrified of what might happen to his daughter, he was just hiding his fears for Herja behind the only thing he knew: violence and things related to violence.

The three nodded and were about to step onto the ship when Kara noticed another asari walking towards them. _Her. _

Herja actually took a defensive stance when she saw Prima, but Kara set her luggage down and put her hand on Herja's shoulder, "It's OK mom. I've got this."

Kara walked over to Prima. She wore a dark red robe. Kara asked, "Why are you here?"

The older asari explained, "I came to see you off. You're my daughter and I'm still your mother."

Kara pointed to Herja, "My mom is right over there."

Prima looked over to the group and nodded, "So she is. Nonetheless Kara, whatever you may think, I love you. I never wanted this life for you. I...I wish things could have been different."

Kara said softly, "You can't be absent the first 50 something years of someone's life then expect to have some type of relationship with them."

Prima replied sadly, "I know. I don't know if I'll ever see you again. So please, just let me at least say goodbye."

Kara nodded and Prima pulled her into a loving but tight embrace. "Goodbye Kara. I love you so much. If...when you get home again...I'd like to see you if you don't mind." She let Kara go.

The younger asari didn't know if she would visit Prima, but she didn't discount the idea. Herja may always be Kara's real mother, but that didn't mean Kara couldn't have a relationship with Prima as well. Kara nodded and went back to the others.

Without saying a word, Kara waved to her family and boarded the ship. She didn't know where she was going in this life, but as long as her mom was with her, she knew she could handle any challenge she would face.

A/N: Wow, this chapter is VERY long. This should be the longest chapter for sure. Thanks again to AblatedCrayon for letting me use camadia in this story. If you want to hear what the sing Herja sang should have sounded like, just type in to youtube 'Tashan songs.' It should be easy to find the right one.

The next chapter is the first of a 3 part arc. These will be followed by the epilogue to this story. I know that this may seem sudden, but this story is coming to a close. Like I said in the first chapter, my life is going to be very busy very soon. I joined the military and I leave in about a month for Boot Camp. I should be able to have this story done in time, but not much more then that. I'm sorry again if this seems too soon, but that is life, right?


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: Arcadia Part 1

**0530. Human Colony Arcadia, Terminus Systems. 2 Days Later. **

Lt. Herja Pruor lead her platoon as they marched in two columns onto a wide open stadium. Their rifles were folded on their backs, and the wore no helmets on Herja's orders. They were on the planet Arcadia to train a local militia on behalf of the Alliance. The colonists had requested protection due to the ongoing Collector attacks, but sending mercenaries and state-of-the-art military grade technology was all the Alliance could do.

The stadium was a fairly large American Football stadium. It had a 100 yard field with a track running around it. There were enough seats to fit thousands of fans at one time. Arcadia was a fairly well established colony; most of the building were permanent structures, not the 'pre-fabs' that defined most colonies in the Terminus. There were over 200,000 people on this planet, and all of them were prepared to do anything to defend themselves, even work with Eclipse if it meant protection.

Ahead of Herja was a company of 160 volunteers. They wore green and black camouflage shirts and pants with black boots. They were arranged into 4 formations of 40 troops, with 10 across and 4 deep. They stood at attention, feet at 45 degree angles and hands at their sides. They looked straight ahead at the Eclipse troops with a mixture of fear, anxiety, and mistrust. In front of the volunteers were several crates stacked on top of each other reaching a height of roughly 4 feet.

When Herja eventually reached the crates she jumped to the top, only slightly having to use her biotics. She signaled for her squads to line up on either side of her. The Eclipse soldiers, 28 in total, looked at the colonists.

Herja folded her hands behind her back and told the company in front of her, "You are volunteers. You have all volunteered to work with us. All agreed to fight, and if need be die, for this colony. We have been asked to train you to try to make sure that doesn't happen. I know that this will be hard on you all; Eclipse isn't the friendliest band out in the Terminus. Many of you may have bad experiences with us. If so, I'm sorry. But that wasn't us."

Herja pointed to the troops in her platoon, "Look at us. No helmets, no masks, no disguises. Everyone standing before you today is here as the person they are. I can personally vouch for every soldier here. I know that means nothing to you, but all I ask is that you give us a chance. This whole process will be much easier if you accept us and hold any grudges you have until this is all over.

"I will personally be instructing first platoon. Sergeant Ryan will be in charge of the second. Sgt. Hale will have third, and Sgt. Miller will have 4th platoon. First platoon will remain here with me. The second will go down 40 yards to the right. The other two platoons will go and follow their instructors. Dismissed people."

The formations followed their orders without hesitation and soon Herja was alone with 40 troops standing in front of her. She took a deep breath and jumped from her stage. She walked up to the formation and ordered them to circle around so they all could hear her.

The asari spoke, "I know you all have ideas about how military training is and how this is going to be. You're wrong. I'm going to yell only if I need to. Hit you only if left with no other choice. Yes, I will put you under stress, but only stress that comes from PT or live fire exercises.

"I know that may sound odd to you humans, but I'm asari. We usually have self motivated recruits, so that's what I expect from all of you. Like I said, you asked for this. I'm not asking you to be perfect, but I expect you to never give up. I expect you all to never quit.

"If I had given up in the past, I would be dead right now. All my troops would be dead right now. In combat people, you either give 100% and never stop fighting or you die. It's just that simple. That is best advice I can give you: never give up. I've been in firefights that I was sure I would die in, but here I am. Never stop fighting, no matter the odds, and you just might survive. Now that that's done, let's get started."

She unfolded the rifle from her back and told the platoon, "This is the Vindicator mark V assault rifle. The Alliance was kind enough to supply the colony and my company with these. It is a highly accurate weapon, with either single shot or three round bursts. We could even illegally modify them to go full automatic, but we won't be doing that today.

"From the moment you receive this it is never to leave your side. I expect you to train, eat, sleep, and shower with it. Without this weapon you are dead. Without you to use it, this rifle is completely fucking useless. Stay together, and you two will make an excellent team."

She tilted her head back to the crates, "Come with me and I'll issue you your weapons."

To Herja's relief, most of the unit seemed not to have any problems with her. Some of them couldn't even stand to look at her, but at least they seemed to be paying some attention to what she was saying. She headed to the crates and opened the top one. After everyone had been issued a weapon Herja showed them how to properly hold one.

"Alright people, now I'm going to show you how to properly..."

Her lessons went on for the rest of the day. When it was over, the asari felt like she actually had taught some of them something useful. She prayed that the rest of this would be at least tolerable.

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Herja stood at attention in captain Delaney's office. Over the past 5 weeks she had been training her company as she saw fit. Every platoon had been given a company to train. The platoon leaders assigned their NCO's to do PT with their units every morning, with the rest of the squad making sure everyone was giving 100% effort and correcting any mistakes they made. After that was completed, the unit showered and ate breakfast.

When morning exercises were completed, the company would re-form and the Eclipse officer would begin whatever lesson they had planned for the day. Herja had taught the militia how to fight in hand-to-hand combat as best she could given the time she had. She had given biotics lessons, even taught them some small unit tactics she had learned. Overall, she was proud of herself and the troops she was training.

That made it even more confusing when Cpt. Delaney called her into his office. The building they were using as a barracks was an old school that the colonists no longer used. It was a two story square orange building with a small courtyard in the middle. It had a small library, a decent sized gym, but only enough rooms so each squad could get separate quarters. Cots had to be supplied to Eclipse because they simply didn't have any.

Herja cleared her throat and asked, "You wanted to see me sir?"

The captain sat at a desk that probably belonged to a principal at one point. They both wore their off duty yellow uniforms.

"Yes lieutenant. Please sit down."

Herja sat down in a seat and the captain asked, "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Herja felt a twitch of anger at that, but it was overtaken with anxiety, "What do you mean sir?"

Delaney clarified, "I mean how you've been training your company. Most of the time I don't see you or your sergeant's yelling at all. Do you think that talking will prepare them for the stress of war?"

Herja defended, "Sir, I'm an asari. We don't see a point in yelling at recruits. Attempting to prepare for war by yelling at people who are willing to die for their families for no reason other than their boots are not properly shined makes no sense to me. I am more than prepared to discipline my men if needed, but that hasn't been necessary."

"How do you get your people motivated if they don't fear you then?"

Herja explained in an even tone, "Sir, people are more motivated to do their jobs if they like the person giving them the assignment. If I was always hard on them, they will eventually lose interest in what I am saying. I doubt they would improve out of fear of upsetting me, and I don't think negative reinforcement is always the best way to motivate people. I try to get the company in good spirits or at least make them try to understand _why _it is we do what we do. Making them do some bullshit exercise that has no real purpose like painting rocks if they fuck up cleaning their weapons won't help them.

"Sir, when I talk to them I _talk to them. _I don't talk _down to _them. I try to make myself seem like a person. If we were Alliance maybe we could get away with being harsher, but even then I wouldn't. I don't think I could have gotten better results with my unit by acting like an Alliance drill sergeant. It just doesn't make sense why you humans always need to yell. It's as if the person who yells the loudest is always the winner of any argument with you people."

The captain asked with a scowl on his face, "Then how about the time you threw Sgt. Ryan clear across the gym during biotics practice?"

Herja stated, "He asked for it sir."

"Asked for it? Goddamn it, what did he do to deserve nearly getting his back broken?"

Herja explained, "Nothing sir. He asked me to properly show the militia we had with us a proper display of biotic power. He also suggested himself as an attacker. He came at me, and I threw him against the wall. The wall was padded. It was during a biotics class. I would never harm Sgt. Ryan sir."

The captain continued, "And the time you put Sgt. Hale in the infirmary for two days?"

Herja defended, "I was showing the soldiers how to properly take down a larger attacker. It's really not hard when you know how to do it properly. Hale volunteered. I admit, he did get injured but only because we were not holding anything back."

"He outweighs you by at least 100 pounds and is a full 30 centimeters taller than you!"

Herja shrugged, "Like I said, we needed to show them how to do the job properly. Hale even apologised to _me _later for not doing as well as he thought he should have."

She asked in a quiet tone, "Sir, has my performance not been satisfactory? Is the company not doing well?"

The captain's attitude went from harsh to friendly in an instant, "Not at all. In fact, your company has the best performance of any unit in the battalion. I expect every bit of that is due to you Herja."

The asari had a surprised look on her face as Delaney continued, "Just now I was testing you to see how you would react when being questioned on your actions. I think you did OK. I also think you could do well as a company commander. Think you're up for the job?"

"Sir?"

Delaney said, "I'm offering you command of the company Herja. Do you accept?"

Herja was stunned but managed to ask, "Sir, if I may, why me? What about the other officers? Aren't they more experienced than me?"

The captain explained, "Experienced? Maybe. But you're the only real choice. Who else would I give command to? Lt. Speirs? The man is always two seconds away from losing his temper. Without me to keep him in line, I think he would execute his own men if he was having a bad enough day. The company he has isn't doing well. He micromanages everything and not one person, even in his own platoon, likes him.

"Lt. Campbell is a good soldier, but only when he has people under him who know how to do their jobs. God knows he tries to train his people properly, and from what I can tell they at least don't think he's a bad man, but they just haven't come as far as your troops. The company you have is doing better on all their PT tests, firing qualifications, and they definitely have higher moral.

"Every word I hear from them about you is positive. When they are given an order by you they follow it because _you _gave it to them, not because it needs to be done or they were told to do it. You're a leader Herja. A good one I think. You're the best choice to replace me."

Herja asked, "Where are you going sir? I was not aware you were going anywhere."

The man sighed and told her, "I'm getting old Herja. I'm almost 50. For your species that may just still be a kid but for humans I'm really getting to the point where I need to start to tone it down with all the violence. I don't think I'll go back to the Alliance, but I'm definitely not going to stay here. I need someone I can trust to lead these people and won't get them all killed or turn this unit into just another pirate band. That person is you. Do you feel up to the job?"

Herja felt her heart soar. She couldn't believe this man, whom she had come to trust and respect, would give her this honor. For her the choice was simple.

"Yes sir. When would this transition happen?"

He informed her, "After we get done here we go back to Omega to get re-supplied with at least another full platoon. When we get all the people, I'll tell everyone you're in charge. After that you're on your own. Just a bit of advice: you might want to reorganize some of the platoons. We both know you have some good NCO's in your platoon who would make some fine officers. Just a suggestion."

Herja stood and saluted him, "Yes sir! Thank you so much!"

He saluted her and shook her hand, "No thank you. It's nice knowing I'll be leaving someone decent in charge of this bunch."

Herja left the room feeling better than she had since she arrived from shore leave. As she walked down the halls of the building she thought about the captain's advice. With the new troops they would be getting she would have 5 platoons worth of troops at her command. She knew she would need someone she could trust to lead the newest group and someone to replace her in second platoon.

_I think I know just the candidates. _

The asari walked down the halls and entered the library of the building. It was fairly small, only about two dozen terminals and a few chairs and benches. Still, few ever came in here except Blake and Kara, who were also in the room talking at a table in their off duty uniforms.

Herja heard Kara say as she approached, "...believe that the humans in the story actually wanted to burn books. Didn't they know how valuable idea's are?"

Blake shook her head, "No. Most humans in the story simply didn't have time to read or even care to. So, Montag and his fire department burned all the books they found."

Herja asked what they were talking about. Kara held up a data pad, "An old human book about a society that _burns _books! These humans get scarier the more you learn about them."

Blake said in mock rage, "Hey! I'm a human!"

Herja chuckled, "Interesting. Anyway Blake?" The human woman looked at Herja. "You turned down a promotion to sergeant three times. If you were offered a higher rank, say lieutenant, would you accept?"

The blond human stated, "Maybe. Why? Is something happening that I should know about?"

Herja found no reason to lie so she told them what Delaney had told her; the captain was leaving Eclipse and Herja was taking over. She needed some help with new people and she thought Blake could take over the new platoon.

Kara asked in a half joking tone, "Mom, how come Leslie gets the promotion and I don't? I really want a shiny insignia on my shoulder."

Herja thought about it for a minute. Kara was tested in battle, more so than Herja was when she first arrived on Omega. Kara had also been very helpful with training the militia. She did seem to earn respect quickly...

Herja smirked, "Why not? As soon as we get the reinforcements I'll put you and Blake in with them to straighten them out."

She left the room leaving both females a bit surprised and very scared.

Eventually Kara said, "Me and my mouth. Now I've got to watch out for 8 or 9 other people and worry about not getting killed myself! Great."

Blake retorted, "You! I've got a couple _dozen _to worry about and keep track of now! How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

The two friends kept arguing until the power went out in the building.

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Sgt. Allen Ryan was resting on cot in the classroom his squad was assigned to. Today was one of the few days they were not training the militia, so he was taking an opportunity to get some R&R in while he still could. He heard the door slide open and looked to see Herja come in. He immediately got up from his cot, walked over, and kissed her.

Since the trip he had taken with her to Sanves, Allen had never felt better in his life. He felt, for the first time in as long as he could remember, that things would truly be OK. He had a beautiful asari he loved, a job he was actually starting to like. And now, thanks to Herja, he felt he had an actual family in Herja and her relatives.

Allen said as he pulled away, "Hey."

Herja smiled, "Hey yourself. Doing anything?"

Ryan shook his head, "Nothing really. How was your trip to the principal's office? Get detention or did you just get off with a warning?"

Herja smirked, "Stop making jokes Allen, you suck at it. I'm actually here to talk to you about that. Why don't we sit?"

They sat down on the cot Ryan had just occupied and Herja told him of her plans. The idea of commanding an entire platoon had Ryan a bit scarred.

"Herja..I really really appreciate that but...I don't think I could lead 30 soldiers into combat."

The asari comforted, "Allen, don't worry. Yes, it is hard, but you'll do fine. Just trust your sergeants to keep track of their people, manage them correctly, and you'll be fine. Think of it as managing three or four groups of people rather than 30 or 40. It's easier that way."

Allen nodded, "Yeah, but when I fuck up it means that all those groups still die."

Herja ordered, "Then don't let that happen! I know you can do this Allen. You just need to have faith in yourself."

Ryan sighed and resigned himself to his fate, "Well, at least I'll still have a great boss. Right?"

Herja smiled and rubbed his shoulder, "Exactly." The two started to kiss passionately for a few seconds until the power surged.

Lights went bright and then burnt out. The holographic display on the door vanished and the door opened. The couple stopped and got up from the cot. Allen looked at his omni-tool, which was flashing on and off. He looked to the asari and asked is hers was working. When Herja tried to interact with it, it simply didn't appear.

When Allen's omni-tool had rebooted a voice came from the Broker Network, "Agent, your omni-tool went offline. What is your current status?"

Allen was amazed the Broker had responded so quickly after such a small incident, but also felt a sudden urge to panic. Herja was the only person in the company who knew he was also working for the Broker. If any of the others found out, Allen wasn't sure what would happen to him.

Herja quickly went to the door and looked around for other people. She nodded for Allen to answer once she saw it was all clear. Allen cleared his throat and explained that the power seemed to have gone out and other people's omni-tools seemed to be malfunctioning.

The Broker asked, "Has the entire building been effected the same way?"

Ryan answered, "I'll check other parts of the building sir."

Allen kept the channel open and proceeded with Herja down the hallway. All of the automatic doors had opened. It was an automatic safety procedure in the event of a power failure so that the people inside wouldn't suffocate. The rooms and the building were airtight and if the ventilation stopped then the people inside would die due to lack of air.

The two Eclipse soldiers saw a few other troops attempting to get their omni-tools working, but none worked. Eventually they made their way to the library to find Blake and Kara attempting to get a monitor to work again.

Kara asked, "What do you mean everything's fried?"

Blake yelled back, "The damn wires are fucking fried! There's only so many ways those words can be interpreted Kara!"

Herja shook her head and Allen reported, "Sir, we just did a full sweep of the building. All electronic equipment has been fried save my omni-tool. Please advise."

Kara looked at her sergeant, "Sarge, what the hell is going on here? Why does your omni-tool magically work while mine doesn't?"

The Broker asked, "Who is that with you?"

Giving Kara a look that said 'not now' as he reported into his omni-tool, "Nobody that can't be trusted sir."

The Broker said, "Understood. To answer the question the omni-tool this man has is a special model designed to withstand magnetic pulses...The kind used by militaries to knock out electronic equipment...The kind that usually fry said equipment and are followed by attacks."

The Broker was silent for several second before asking, "Have you checked what the situation is outside yet?"

Ryan answered no and the Broker then ordered him to go outside and give a full report on the situation. The four Eclipse soldiers went out the front door and observed the situation: There were two turrets guarding the building, one of which had a female human engineer looking at it. The sky had several dark clouds in it...clouds that hadn't been there a few hours ago.

Ryan asked if the engineer's omni-tool was working. She said no, and that the turrets were malfunctioning as well. She also said that she saw several sky cars crash; that they simply fell out of the sky. Ryan immediately reported the information to his superior, the Eclipse troops around him looking more and more nervous.

After a few moments the Broker questioned, "You say all electrical devices seem to be offline?"

Ryan answered, "Yes sir."

The Broker again asked, "And all transportation seems to be down?"

Allen told the Broker, "Well I haven't seen any transports since I've come outside sir."

"And the weather seems to have changed with little to no warning? There are storm clouds in the sky and you had no prior warning?"

Ryan answered yes again.

"You are still on a human colony?"

Ryan was getting very scared now, "I think I know what you're getting at here sir. You mean..."

The Broker's voice finished, "Yes agent, the Collectors are coming. You should prepare while you still have time."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Allen and the four other Eclipse troops he had encountered recently charged into the temporary command center in the building. The room was an old conference room used by school staff and had a large table in the middle. The captain and several members of his personal guard were attempting to repair the terminals and other electric equipment in the room.

Allen went up to Delaney and nearly yelled, "Sir, we need to sound the siren now. There's no time to explain-"

The captain held up his hands, "Slow down sergeant, you're not making sense here. What do you mean we need to sound the siren?"

The siren was a tornado warning system that the school, city hall, and the local hospital all had access to. It was an old piece of technology that was the same as models on Earth 200 years prior. It was also the only technology on the planet that wasn't a hologram or had a holographic interface. That meant that it was also the only way of warning the colonists. It was a contingency plan in case of emergency that if the alarm sounded that all of the colonists would go indoors at once and for the militia to assemble at the school.

Allen stated quickly, "The Collectors are coming sir! We have to get ready."

Delaney asked in a surprisingly cool tone, "And just how the hell do you know that sergeant?"

Allen sighed. _God I hope I don't regret this. _He brought up his omni-tool and a deep voice came from it's speakers, "The soldier is right. The Collectors are going to strike soon if they haven't already. You need to prepare now!"

The captain asked suspiciously, "And just who exactly am I speaking to?"

The voice stated evenly, "This is the Shadow Broker Captain Delaney. Yes, I know who you are. Sergeant Ryan speaks of you with great respect in his reports. Now, unless they pertain to the matter at hand, I suggest you stop asking questions. Your time is quickly running out."

The captain kept his face neutral, but Allen knew what that meant; it meant the captain was thinking. And when the captain thought, things happened. Usually very violent things.

Delaney took a deep breath and looked to a male soldier at the opposite end of the room,"Sound the alarm. I want everyone armed and in the gym in 5 minutes. Break out all the ordinance we have, it's gonna be a tough fight."

Allen asked his superior, "Wait, that's it? No asking how we know the Collectors are coming? Not going to kill me for working with the Broker or ask how long I've been working for him?"

Delaney looked at Ryan with a deadly look in his eyes, "Sergeant, I'm about to fight a battle against a mythical race of bug-men from an unknown part of the galaxy on the word of the criminal overlord of said galaxy. Today's about as weird and stress filled as I can handle, I'm not about to make it worse by asking stupid questions."

He advanced on Allen, "But make no mistake, we will have a long and serious discussion about loyalty when this is over."

Allen didn't feel fear like he knew he should; he felt anger. He knew of Loyalty. He was loyal to Herja, the asari he would sacrifice everything for in an instant. He was loyal to his squad members, the people he looked at almost as another family by this point. And he was loyal to the captain.

Though not as important to him as Herja and those in his squad, Allen admired the captain. Not once did he compromise any operation Delaney thought of as being a good mission. Not once did Allen seal the fate of a unit Delaney believed to be fighting 'good fights.' Not once did he do anything he wasn't sure the captain would have done in his place.

And now this man was questioning him? Now Delaney was lecturing Ryan about loyalty after all he had done for him and all he had put up with for those he cared about? Ryan would have been afraid before his mother died. He would have not been bothered by this at all when he first joined Eclipse. But he wasn't the same man he was back then.

The Allen Ryan that stood before Delaney now was furious, only keeping his feelings in check because of the battle that was to come and because Herja was in the room. He knew the asari had feelings about the captain that mirrored his own. So, for the sake of the mission, Allen put away his anger...for now.

"Yes sir." The young man said.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

No sooner had the militia arrived then the Collector ship had appeared in the sky. With the defense turrets down and the Eclipse cruiser at the spaceport, there was nothing that could stop it from releasing swarms of tiny insect like robots.

The colonists managed to get into their homes before the swarms arrived, but everyone knew the Collectors themselves would soon come in and drag the colonists onto the ship when the swarms failed. Everyone in the gym could hear the swarms outside. As soon as they were gone, the soldiers would move to and secure the command post that had the controls to the defense turrets. Hopefully the controls wouldn't be too difficult to repair.

The entire militia, roughly 500 strong, and Victor Company, about 100 troops in total, were in the gym of the school gearing up. The Eclipse in their usual yellow and black armor, the militia in green and black camouflage suits.

The gym was the size of a professional basketball court with a large section of seats on two sides that the colonists would use to watch their children play sports. Victor Company had stored the weapons and armor in a led encased room to guard against such attacks as a magnetic pulse, so at least the suit's communicators and reserve omni-tools the Eclipse troops had in storage would still work.

Allen had just finished suiting up and issued his rifle when he began to look for Herja. He knew that this would be the last fight of many, if not all, of the soldiers in the room. The thought of death itself didn't scare Ryan as much as it might other men in his position. No, what Allen feared the most was Herja not ever knowing about how he truly felt about her.

Allen felt the thought to be stupid, but he really was afraid at that happening. Why, he simply didn't know. Maybe it was that he wanted to thank her for all she had done for him and an admission of love was the best way he knew how. Maybe telling her his feelings was a way to let go of any stress he had so he could focus properly. Maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever the reason, Allen didn't care. He just knew he had to find her and tell her.

After a few minutes of looking around the room he saw her leaning against a wall, rifle folded on her back. She was looking over at Kara, who was talking with the rest of her squad nearby. Allen walked over to Herja with his helmet under his arm.

He leaned on the wall next to her and said, "So, what's it like?"

Herja faced him, "What is what like Allen?"

He answered, "Knowing you're probably not gonna live to see another day. You see, I've never known any other feeling, so I'm a bit numb to it."

Herja stated in a surprisingly convincing tone, "We're not gonna die Allen! We're gonna survive this. We'll go back home. We'll get good jobs and we'll never even hold another gun as long as we live."

Ryan shook his head, "Even if we did make it back to Sanves, given your family, I think it'd be a pretty safe bet we'd hold guns again."

Herja smiled at that, "True enough. But it wouldn't be because we needed to to defend ourselves, it would be because we wanted to have fun shooting something."

Allen returned her smile before he remembered why he had come here. _She needs to know. I need to tell her. _

He took a breath and let it out, "There's something I need to say. It's not easy for me to say something like this, so I hope you can be patient with me."

She gave him her full attention and he continued, "Herja, from the moment I first met you, you have been the best friend I have ever had. You took the time to get to know me, you taught me how to fight. You stood by me when nobody else would. You took me into your home and showed me off to your family like I was some type of trophy. You are without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to me. I...I love you. I wish there was a way for me to properly express to you how I truly feel, but I don't know of a way that would convey to you what I feel."

He let out a sigh, "That...that wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, but I hope you know what I meant."

Herja looked thoughtful for a minute before asking, "And what if there were such a way? Would you show me how you feel then?"

Allen nodded, "In a heartbeat. Why?"

The asari moved closer to him. Her face looked as if she was debating something and couldn't decide what she wanted.

Herja explained in a calm, very serious, tone, "Allen, we asari can meld with other species and exchange memories and emotions. Every time we have been together we have exchanged senses, possibly even accidently some memories, but we have not gone so deep as to feel what another feels emotionally."

Allen nodded, "Right. And you would do that now? With me?"

Herja looked conflicted, "I...I have never done that before. The other people I melded with I was never close enough with them to want to do that. It is not something that should ever be done without both partners being absolutely sure that is what they want. That type of meld leaves both people involved changed. A part of us would always live on in the other. Are you sure you want that Allen?"

Ryan thought about what she had said. He wouldn't be the same after that. He wasn't sure what that meant entirely, but he didn't think it would negatively affect him. Also, if this was the only way to let her know his feelings, he would do this with no regrets...if she let him.

Allen asked, "Would you? This is pretty important Herja, and I'm willing to do this. But...I won't ask that of you if you wouldn't want that."

The asari sighed and looked at Ryan with a gentle and caring look, "Yes Allen. Please give me your hand."

Ryan extended his hand, which was then taken by Herja's. The asari took a few deep breaths and began the meld. Allen let her into his mind with no resistance. In a few seconds Allen could not hear or see anything. He could only feel...and he felt so much. He didn't know who these emotions came from, but he felt and experienced more than he ever had before.

He felt fear. Fear of death, fear of losing loved ones. Fear of not going home. Anxiety for what was to come. Hope that everyone would live to see tomorrow. One emotion in particular he wanted to express so much he practically through at her. He sent her all the love he had for her. He made sure she knew what he felt. When that was done, he felt...warm? Happy? No, what he was feeling was...being sent to him...by Herja. This felt like...like love?

_Yes Allen. It's love. _

The human knew he was probably in tears in the 'real world', but he didn't care. Part of him couldn't believe anyone could ever feel this way about him. Another was humbled by and grateful for it. In that moment, despite everything else that was about to happen, Allen Ryan and Herja Pruor were truly happy.

The asari ended the meld and their senses returned to them. Allen felt a few wet spots on his cheeks and saw Herja looked as if she might cry as well. They both laughed a bit and breathed deeply.

Herja stuttered, "That was...the most...I..."

Allen put his hand on her cheek, "I know. Me too."

He kissed her. They kissed with all they had. No mater what would happen today, they would get through it together. If they fought hard, kept their wits about them, and never gave up, then there was nothing they could not achieve. When the pair had finished they nodded to each other and went off to form their unit. They had some work to do.

A/N: I hope I did OK with the melding scene. I'm not sure how I did. I don't think I destroyed it, but I'm probably giving myself too much credit.

Just so we are all clear, the Eclipse ship is on the planet. As in it landed on the planet. I don't know if ships can do that or not in ME, but they should all be able to. Even dreadnoughts. It never made sense to me why a ship that can go into the atmosphere of a planet and not get blown up due to friction or whatever not be able to land.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: Arcadia Part 2

Herja lead her unit down the road towards the militia command post that had the controls to the defense turrets. It was a small bunker the outskirts to the colony and it wasn't airtight. That meant that anybody that was in the building when the collectors hit would have been abducted, hence why all the militia came to the school and didn't try to get the defenses up first thing. The troops had broken down into the units they trained with, Cpt. Delaney taking his men with first platoon, and were taking three separate routes to the objective as to not make themselves a single large target.

The Eclipse troops were in front, with the militia close behind. The storm clouds and Collector ship still in the sky made the soldiers hair on their necks stand on end. The street had several sky cars on the ground. Some were on fire as if they had rashed, others seemed to have exploded. Fortunately the only bodies seemed to be the few that were in the cars when they fell.

Herja walked past a yellow car and began to cross a bridge over a small river. The bridge had a stone wall tall enough for a person to be able to stand next to and still not see over. Beyond the bridge was another collection of cars. As Herja passed the wall and began to move past the cars, it happened.

Two soldiers just behind her were cut down by beams of plasma coming from a building on the right. Herja saw a beam coming for her and ducked behind the cover of one of the cars. The other Eclipse troops began to take cover with her as they began taking more fire. Herja looked up and saw the building. It was a two story warehouse that was immediately on the right after the bridge ended. Collectors were on the roof of the building as well as firing from the windows. If it hadn't been for the wall, Herja and the others may have seen this coming.

The building was on the corner of a large intersection, with only a few cars for protection. There was way around the building here, and to go around would have taken time they didn't have. Herja knew they had to take this building, and fast. She ordered up one platoon from the militia to take cover with her own soldiers. The Eclipse troops provided covering fire while 40 militia took cover with the mercenaries. Herja ordered the locals to keep the Collectors pinned while her troops assaulted the building.

Once the militia began to fire Herja yelled out, "Now! Follow me," and charged straight at the building.

When she reached the door she biotically pushed it into the building and charged right in. She led her troops past a small break room that had a few tables and vending machines and into the storage area of the warehouse. On the right was a set of stairs leading leading to the upper levels, straight ahead was all the inventory the building had.

The lieutenant ordered, "Squads one and two, ground floor. Third squad with me."

She led the squad up the stairs and into a reception area of the buildings offices. Two Collectors greeted her by attempting to shoot her. She slammed one into the other and continued on to the right. There were several offices and cubicles in the hallway, each one being cleared before being past. Once the Eclipse troops were about a third of the way down the hall several Collectors came out of hiding and attacked.

Herja through up a barrier and received no injuries as she ducked into an office on her left. She looked back to see a female tech expert and Sgt. Miller had been killed. An asari medic was also looking after a salarian engineer she had pulled into the office she occupied across the hall. When the medic saw the LT looking at her, she shook her head. Herja cursed and breathed out a few times.

_Need to focus. Don't let any more end up like them!_

She stood up, went to the edge of her office, and looked around. The Collectors were all waiting for the Eclipse members to attack. If they stepped out of cover, they would be cut to bits. Herja though for a way to distract them. She looked to the wall that was closest to the enemy. She went over and tapped it several locations and gave it a shove with her shoulders.

_Yeah, that might work. _

She yelled out to her troops, "Give them all you got on three! One, two," she looked to the wall. Summoning her biotics she sent a wave of energy through the wall, causing it to be obliterated along with any hostiles in the next office. Herja grinned as she looked to see all the Collectors immediately turned their attention to the room that was just destroyed.

"Three!"

The four remaining soldiers in the squad and Herja then came out of their cover and fired. In a hail of bullets and biotics the enemy was slaughtered, their bodies hitting the floor before they knew what hit them.

Herja yelled out, "Let's go," and signaled her people to follow her. They advanced without hesitation.

As they advanced down the hall Herja came to a window. Through it she could see what was happening on the floor below. The Eclipse troops were taking cover behind several boxes stacked up on pallets while the Collectors continued to fire on them. Herja could see Kara firing several shots, most of them hitting their targets. The asari officer felt a wave of pride at seeing how good a shot her daughter was. There were several troops around Kara that Herja assumed to be Kara's squad.

One Eclipse soldier was on the ground dead a few feet behind where Kara and her squad were. Another had just been hit and had fallen to the ground. One of the troops in Kara's squad went over to try to help, but was shot several times in the back. As she watched him fall, Herja nearly stopped breathing.

She called in her communicator, "Ryan you there?"

To her relief the sergeant responded, "Little busy right now Herja!"

The officer replied, "Yeah, I can see that. Tell the asari with you to put up a barrier. I've got an idea."

He said to her, "Oh, that's comforting."

As soon as Herja saw Kara and the other two asari in the squad below put up a barrier she encased the glass in front of her with biotic energy. Herja then broke the glass and sent it to rain down on the Collector troops below. As soon as they stopped firing, the Eclipse troops picked their targets and emptied their weapons at the enemy. When they were all dead the soldiers advanced further into the building.

Herja and the squad with her soon cleared the rest of the top floor and came to another set of stairs leading down to the ground floor. When they descended the herd gunfire and quickly advanced through a dark hallway with shelves stacked with boxes on both sides. The soldiers eventually came to what appeared to be the loading area of the building. Ahead of them on the right and through an opening in the wall on their right were several Collectors had taken cover behind a few tow motors and were keeping the other Eclipse members pinned down.

Herja and the others stacked up on either side of the wall. The officer nodded to her troops and they attacked. They turned the corner, selected their targets, and fired. Most of them were killed in a few seconds. Herja warped one of the hostiles while the asari medic slammed two more onto the floor. When the fight was over all the troops came out and regrouped in the middle of the room.

Sgt. Ryan came over and informed Herja, "Hale's dead. Silver too, along with second squad's medic. No other casualties on our end."

Herja sadly said, "Miller and half his team are dead."

Herja thought about this news. _We only have one medic and one tech expert now. _The asari hoped that at least they would have enough specialists for the rest of the battle.

She looked to her remaining soldiers, all of whom stood ready to fight. Herja pointed back to the door with her rifle and said, "Come on people, we still have a colony to save."

* * *

The militia and Eclipse troops moved down the street in two columns on either side of the road. The streets were still sparsely filled with cars and the occasional bus. The communicators the soldiers has would only work for a small distance before the signal would be jammed, so the individual units had no idea what the other was doing. Second platoon and the militia still heard gunfire in the distance, so they knew somebody was still fighting, but with every round of fighting it would get just a little bit quieter.

The command post was just about half a mile away at this point. The buildings in this part of the city were several stories tall and many had balconies on them. Herja was constantly looking for Collectors waiting to ambush them.

As the unit turned a corner and headed down another street, Herja heard a sharp _zat _and a militia member behind her fell. Then another _zat zat _and more troops were hit. Herja yelled out for the soldiers to get into cover. They hid behind a few cars and along the sides of buildings or in a few nearby back alleys.

Herja had taken cover behind a car with a squad from the militia and began to scan the buildings for targets. When she saw a group of Collectors at 2 O'clock on the roof of a building, she fired three rounds at one. It's head twitched and it's body fell back. The others fell back and the asari could see them fly away and out of range.

She soon found a new group of enemies at 11 O'clock on a balcony and killed two before the remaining one got away. The asari could see this would get them killed, picking them off one or two at a time. She yelled into her communicator for squads to pick whole groups of targets and kill then in unison.

She looked to the soldiers around her, they all nodded, and she gave them their first order.

"12 O'clock. 6th story balcony, light yellow house."

The troops all picked their targets and everyone fired within a second of each other. All the hostiles in that sector were eliminated. The asari scanned for more targets. On the left she found several squads of enemies targeting her people. She soon gave her orders.

"9 O'clock. Rooftop, red building on the corner."

She and her troops eliminated the Collectors there and continued until the unit was no longer being engaged. When the shooting stopped, Herja surveyed the damage. One more Eclipse soldier had been killed, along with 30 militia members.

Herja felt as if a bullet had gone through her heart. She had trained every single member of this unit. She was the commander of the Eclipse troops. Every single death here she was responsible for. How many people would never see their loved ones again because of her? How much misery was she responsible for today? She was their _commander! _She should have kept them alive, this was all her fault!

The asari took a deep breath. _No Herja, it isn't. You aren't some Goddess who can decide who lives and who dies, who goes to be with the Goddess or who is banished into the Abyss. All you can decide is where they go. If they die there, then that's not in your power to change. _

The officer rallied her forces, and they continued forward. Soon they were leaving the large permanent structures behind them and were nearly to the command post. The post itself was in a small grey bunker. The bunker looked like a small pyramid with the top simply removed, was roughly 40 yards across on each side, and had slots for defenders to fire from inside the structure. There were several stone and metal slags that were placed around the bunker that functioned as cover for the defending forces.

The structure was in a field about 1000 yards from the city. In between the stone fortification and the colony were a series of small ditches, hills, and almost valley like depressions in the ground that gave Herja and her soldiers concealment as they approached their objective.

As the asari came to the crest of a hill she looked to see several Collectors had already arrived at the bunker. She counted and saw at least 20 of them outside with at least a few moving in the bunker as well. She surveyed her own forces and soon came up with a plan. She called the militia platoon leaders and the few NCO's she had left and told them her plan.

"Alright people, here's how we do this. The militia and first and second squad lay down fire while I take what's left of third squad plus our last tech expert and flank them. Once we have the enemy pinned, I'll go in the back with third squad and secure the bunker. While that happens, the tech repairs and activates our defenses. Questions?"

Allen raised his hand, "So, we just keep them distracted?"

Herja nodded, "Exactly. Keep them pinned down and kill any who try to get into the bunker. We also need to limit the damage that thing takes. I'm not saying not to use rockets, I'm telling you to use them only if you have to. Anything else?"

No other questions were asked, and the soldiers readied themselves. Herja took the four remaining troops from the third squad plus a human tech expert and went around the bunker to the right. When the asari officer and her team were in position were taking cover in a depression she sent a brief message to the others.

_Do it._

In an instant the distance between the bunker and the Eclipse and militia troops was filled with bullets. Every member of the defending forces fired a full thermal clip into the enemy. In a few seconds the 20 Collectors were eliminated and the few in the bunker were just starting to realize they were under attack.

Herja and her team went forward, the rest of the unit ceasing their attack as soon as the squad was near the bunker. The Collectors were on the opposite side of the bunker from where Herja entered. Inside the bunker a hallway that went around the entire structure. There was a single room in the building itself, which was right in front of the entrance Herja had lead her team through.

Herja and the others heard gunfire outside, but she ordered the tech to go to the computer room and get the defenses online. Herja lead third squad down the hall. As she was about to turn a corner, she heard a bullet hit the inside of the building. She carefully went to the corner and looked around. The officer saw seven hostiles still alive, one dead Collector had a hole in it's head and was on the floor. The Collectors were firing their weapons, the fire from the unit outside had their full attention. The asari turned to her team, which included an asari medic, two male riflemen, and a female heavy.

She gestured for the heavy to stay back, the rest with her. They stacked up at the corner, and Herja gave the signal. They attacked. Herja went to the far side of the hallway and warped the head off a Collector while lining up a shot that killed another. The other asari slammed a hostile into the far wall and finished it off with her rifle. The two other infantry quickly dispatched the remaining enemies.

Herja said in her communicator, "Bunker cleared. Cease fire and take up defensive positions."

She signaled for her team to go outside and regroup. She then went to check on the progress the tech was making.

Lt. Pruor entered the room that had the defense mainframe to the colony. The computer itself was a large grey box about 2.5 meters tall with a monitor and physical keyboard in front of it. The Eclipse soldier was just putting a hatch back on the machine when he looked up and spoke.

"Everything's fixed ma'am. I just need to reboot the system and the defense turrets should tear the Collector ship to pieces."

Herja asked, "You sure those turrets can do that?"

The human man nodded, "Yes ma'am. They fire super heated plasma. With enough hits, they could destroy any ship in any navy."

The asari nodded and she received a call in her communicator, "Herja, it's Ryan. Collectors are inbound."

Herja reloaded her weapon, "Get done whatever you have to do and get out there ASAP!"

The human nodded and Herja went outside to coordinate the defense. As soon as she came outside she saw that her troops had already taken cover behind the stone and metal slabs and spread out to cover all sides of the bunker.

The officer ordered two platoons from the militia inside the bunker and the rest of them to take cover with the Eclipse troops facing the city. In the distance she could see the Collectors approaching like a swarm of locusts.

She told them, "Keep looking at the sky and shoot anything you don't like on the ground. Remember, if we ambushed them they could do the same to us."

The troops took cover and as soon as the enemy was in range, they opened fire. Herja selected a target, followed it's path, and fired three bursts where it would be in a few seconds. It was hit, and fell to the ground. Several others did this, but most simply fired randomly at the enemy.

Herja saw this and yelled out, "Fire where they're going to be, not where they ARE!"

After taking down another enemy she ordered, "And save your ammo. We nee to hold them as long as we have to."

By now the enemy was close enough to land and engage the enemy. About 20 or 30 yards away several dozen enemies landed and opened fire. The troops returned fire and the air was swarming with bullets and plasma fire. The defenders had superior numbers, but the Collectors could hid in the nearby depressions and had weapons that had a higher rate of fire and didn't need to be reloaded.

As the Collectors advanced towards her position, Herja looked around at her troops. They were no doubt terrified, but they didn't show it. Every single one of them kept firing. They showed no signs of panic, nor did they seem to have any doubt they would win. They all fought like true soldiers. Herja was proud to be their leader.

She turned her attention back to the enemy, who were down to about 20 or so soldiers. The Collectors kept firing and advancing, but so far only a few of the militia had been killed. Herja was amazed at how few losses the had suffered since they arrived and prayed to the Goddess her luck held.

A Collector popped up from under a hill and it's head was shot off by a dozen rounds from as many soldiers. A few tried flying to get the attention of the defenders, but three headshots from Kara's sniper rifle quickly stopped them. The last remaining Collectors flew up from a depression and reached the militia and Eclipse troops. Their fire hit a few militia members, but biotics from the asari and fire from the rest quickly tore the enemy to bits. Herja surveyed the battlefield. 12 militia members killed against dozens if not nearly 100 Collectors. For now at least victory was hers.

The asari officer called out, "Redistribute ammo, check to see if there are any more wounded. They'll be back people."

As she finished giving her orders she heard a new voice yell, "I arrive too late?"

She pointed her weapon in the direction the voice came from. When she saw it was someone she knew, she lowered her weapon.

"Lt. Campbell?"

The Eclipse officer facing her was a tall man with red hair and green eyes. Hit helmet was gone, and her had several cuts on his face. Behind him were about 30 Eclipse troops and another 100 or so militia members.

The human nodded, "Yeah, it's me. Sorry we're late."

Herja shook her head, "Just in time. The Collectors just probed us. They'll send a much larger force in the next attack, so we'll need every soldier we can get. Have you heard from Delaney or Speirs?"

Campbell shook his head, "They didn't make it. We heard a distress call from the captain saying Speirs was dead along with most of his men. I took a squad to go find him, but it was getting real quiet over there by the time I did that. When we found him round what was left of his body it didn't...there wasn't much left."

Herja breathed out, "Goddess damnit."

She was saddened to hear of Delaney's death, but she had to worry about mourning him later. She still had a battle to win.

As Herja took cover with Campbell on her right behind a large piece of concrete she asked if there was anymore developments.

The other officer replied, "Guess you didn't get the message. The _David _radioed and said they were attempting to get our gunships in the air and give us some support."

Herja laughed a that, "Good luck with that happening."

The asari said in her communicator to the rest of her unit, "Alright people, listen up. We hold this ground long enough for the cannons to come online, and then they will tear the Collectors a new asshole. This isn't going to be easy, but it's what we signed on for. Don't get complacent, fight like merciless bastards I know you can be, and maybe we'll get out of this."

Herja looked around the bunker at the soldiers. They were spread out amongst the cover points and looked to the colony awaiting for the next attack. Herja felt a wave of pride wash over her. If she was going to die today, she couldn't imagine better soldiers to go out with.

_Goddess, watch over those who fall this day and keep their families safe. _

The asari looked out to the colony and saw...them. Several swarms of Collectors and several larger hovering tanks were heading towards them. She heard the troops around her reloading their weapons and saw the ones around her lining up targets. Herja did the same and waited. As soon as they were in range, they opened fire.

Hundreds of rounds filled the sky and flew to their targets like swarming hornets. Some of the Collectors were hit and fell to the ground, but most managed to evade the oncoming fire. When they were about 100 yards from the bunker the Collector infantry took cover behind a nearby hill, the Pretorian tanks still moving towards the bunker.

The tanks soon began to fire on the defending soldiers. Several members of the militia were vaporized as the tank maneuvered around the cover they used. Some of the heavies tried to target the Pretorians, but the missiles couldn't lock on to them. Meanwhile, the Collectors kept advancing.

Just as Lt. Campbell was about to eliminate a Collector Herja pulled him down to the ground as not to be vaporized by an overhead tank. She tried to get up and return fire, but every time she stuck her head above the concrete block in front of her a volley of plasma fire forced her back down.

The asari kept her head down and put the muzzle of the rifle over the top. She fired several rounds, but Herja knew she wasn't really doing any good. Herja put up a barrier, stuck her body above the top of the cover, aimed her weapon, and killed four hostiles before having to reload. As she put a fresh clip into her weapon she looked around at the battle field. Many of the militia had been hit, despite them putting up a valiant defense. Many of the cover points they had were being reduced to rubble.

Herja put up another barrier and again returned fire on the enemy, rounds missing her by centimeters. She located a target and put three rounds into his head. Then another. And another. The Collectors kept coming like the insects they were. The enemy was about 40 yards away by now, and the defenders were starting to run low on ammo. Herja biotically threw a Collector into another, but she was starting to feel panic creep in.

_If they get to the bunker, it's over._

She yelled out, "Don't let them gain any more ground. Hold the line!"

Squads started to pick their targets again. Some focused on keeping the Collectors at bay, other focused on the tanks. While the Pretorians would be focused on a squad of soldiers, it would be vulnerable to heavy weapons fire. Herja looked back to see Ryan and what was left of his squad firing at one tank that was above the bunker. Allen took Blake and Kara and moved to the right while firing their weapons while Adams went left and hid by the end of the bunker.

When the Pretorian was about to attack, Adams opened fire. The rocket went into the tank's main engine and it exploded, the remains completely disintegrating. Adams cheered as he watched his accomplishment, only to be yelled at by Allen. Adams looked around and saw another tank behind him. Before he could move, Adams was hit by the main guns of the tank. Soon there was nothing left of him.

Allen and what was left of his team screamed and in disbelief and rage unloaded their weapons at the Pretorian. Herja and the rest of their platoon joined them. A rocket from the platoon's last remaining heavy brought it down.

Herja set aside her emotions and again looked at the battlefield. The enemy was now about 40 yards away and the militia was taking heavy casualties. In addition, several members of Eclipse had fallen already. Herja knew this couldn't last much longer. She counted how many clips she had left. She counted four. She put one into her weapon and continued to fight.

Just as the enemy was about to make another push Herja heard a male voice in her communicator, "Get your heads down people, we are coming in hot!"

Herja looked into the sky over the bunker and saw the four gunships the company had. Herja screamed out for the unit to take cover. Just as the last of the militia and Eclipse troops were behind something solid, the gunships bombarded the enemy. Missiles and machine gun fire rained down on Collector positions, eliminating dozens at a time. Two gunships targeted and destroyed one Pretoria each. Finally, just as the Collectors started to regroup, the colony's defenses came back online.

In seconds the guns were pulverising the Collector ship with blasts of plasma. The hive like vessel was visibly shaking after taking just a few hits. Seeing this, many of the defenders rose to their feet and cheered, Lt. Campbell among them. Just as he began to hoist his weapon in the air, a Collector took off his head with a particle rifle.

Herja watched his lifeless body hit the ground. There was no way out of this now; _she _had to lead this unit, whether she wanted to or not.

The asari breathed in and screamed as she fired at the remaining hostiles, each round finding a target and destroying it. Overhead a gunship was engaged in a dogfight with a Pretorian. The gunship was being chased by the floating tank, and a shot from the Collector armor hit the gunship, destroying the tail end and sending the rest of it plummeting to the ground.

The front part of the gunship was about 30 yards away and to the left from where Herja was. There were no hostiles in the distance from Herja to the crashed ship, but the fire from the enemy in front made getting to the pilot and seeing if they were alright impossible. Herja called the remains of the third squad and formed a plan.

She pointed to the asari medic, "You go straight for the pilot. Don't stop for anything, got it? There should be a way to manually open the cockpit if the pilot can't. Only leave without the pilot if you know for a fact they're dead. Understood?"

The asari nodded and Herja ordered the other three troops to keep her covered while she provided a diversion.

One of the riflemen yelled in disbelief, "You go out in that fire you'll be cut to shreds!"

Herja said, "No other choice. Now get ready."

The medic took a ready stance, as did the others.

"Go!"

Herja charged the Collectors in front of her. Her charge killed three Collectors at once it had so much force. She biotically warped another and slammed two more together. As one tried to melee her, she kicked it's knees in and finished it off with her rifle. As three others tried to shoot her, Herja threw up a singularity. The other soldiers eliminated them quickly.

Herja looked to see the medic had pulled the female human pilot from the gunship and was treating her wounds. She then looked behind her to see a Pretorian had targeted her. As the machine shot at her, she charged out of the way and ran the rest of the distance back to the cover she had previously occupied. By now Ryan, Blake, and Kara had joined the third squad and were helping provide Herja with cover fire.

Kara cried out, "By the Goddess mom, that was the craziest thing I've ever seen!"

The elder asari replied, "Yeah? Well if I ever see you try something like that, I'll send your ass back home! Now shut up and keep fighting!"

The squad kept firing at the tank, but it kept coming towards them. The heavy said she was down to her last missile as she unloaded her weapon. Herja thought of something and looked to Ryan.

"Hey Allen, you remember Sanctum?"

The sergeant nodded and told the heavy, "Yeah. Soldier, set that thing to blow. The LT has an idea."

The heavy followed her orders with no questions. Soon the missile launcher was a basically giant live grenade, and it was about to blow.

Herja took the launcher and ordered her people to fire at the Pretorian with all the had. Every nearby Eclipse member with a rifle fired their weapons, distracting it just enough for Herja to line up a shot. She biotically hurled it straight at the tank. The moment it hit the Collector machine it exploded, causing a bright enough light that everyone in the area had to shield their eyes. When the defenders reorganized themselves, they were...they didn't know what to think.

The enemy had gone.

The unit looked around and saw the ship was still there but the enemy had vanished. Herja looked to the sky and saw the three remaining gunships still moving around. She looked to the Collector ship and saw several objects moving towards it. She quickly realized what had happened...they did it!

Herja watched in amazement as the last of the invaders disappeared onto the ship. Soon the spire shaped vessel launched, but it still took fire from the colony's defenses. With every hit it rocked and seemed to stall. Herja and the others watched and prayed as they saw the ship get higher and higher in the atmosphere. Just as it looked as if the Collectors might escape...the ship exploded.

In a flash of glorious white light, the ship blew up over the colony, sending debris over the outskirts but away from the colony itself. Herja and the others all screamed at the top of their lungs. They waved their arms and weapons in the air. The hugged and cried. Victory was theirs.

Allen came up to Herja with his rifle folded on his back and his helmet off. Herja smiled at him, reached out, and grabbed him. The two kissed furiously and passionately. They kissed so hard it hurt them. They didn't stop until their lungs started to burn. When they were done they smiled at each other and turned back to the other survivors.

Herja found the medic from third squad and asked about the pilot. The asari replied, "She'll be in need of some proper surgery ma'am, but I've seen worse then her make a full recovery. She should be OK."

Herja nodded and took stock of the situation. Before her were at least a few dozen Eclipse troops and over 100 militia. She knew they had just been through hell, but this may not be over yet and Herja knew it.

She spoke to her people, "Everyone listen up: Goddess Damnit, we did it!"

After a round of cheers continued, "I won't lie to you, we lost a lot of good people today. But by stopping these bug-faced bastards we saved over 200,000 people from being abducted. I call that a victory."

Another round of applause followed that. When that was over Herja finished, "But there still might be some hostiles left here. I know what we just went through, but we have to finish this _today _people. Salvage all the ammo you can, and lets get this done!"

The soldiers, though tired, all followed their orders with no complaints. Soon Herja was leading a unit of the finest troops she had ever seen back into the city to make sure her job was done.


	16. Chapter 16

I am updating now because my life has been very busy, and that is not likely to stop before I leave for Boot Camp. I wish I could spread this out more, but this is simply not possible. In any case, please enjoy!

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Chapter Sixteen: Arcadia Part 3

**Three Days Later.**

Herja and Allen stood a few yards outside the city in their armor, Allen not wearing his helmet and carrying a pistol. After the Collectors had been defeated Ryan had sent a report to the Shadow Broker informing him of the situation and the current status of the colony.

In all, only 41 of the more than 100 members of Victor Company had survived the battle. The militia fared worse, with only 120 left out of nearly 500 when the Collectors arrived. Civilian casualties were at a minimum at least, with the only losses being those few people who were driving at a high altitude when the enemy first arrived.

The Shadow Broker said that he would send an agent to personally inspect the colony and determine the extent of the aid that would be given to the colony. This was a welcome surprise to those on Arcadia, though they doubted they would receive much. The damage to the colony was surprisingly low despite a major battle took place there. Even more interesting was that the Broker asked specifically the leader of the Eclipse forces meet the agent, not a militia member or the colony's governor.

Allen told Herja after the first communique he received a second message from his other boss. It ordered him to make sure he was there when the meeting happened as well. If the meeting between the agent and Herja went badly, he was to kill the Eclipse officer when given a signal.

Herja asked Allen as a grey shuttle descended from the atmosphere, "Did the message say what the signal would be?"

Ryan shook his head, "No. I assume it would be a wave of the hand or a nod of the head or something like that. Could you do me a favor and don't make me have to kill a Shadow Broker operative today? That would just be weird to explain to the boss."

Herja looked at him and said sarcastically, "I thought I was the boss. Getting your wires crossed there?"

Allen grinned back, "Maybe." He looked to the shuttle as it landed. "Heads up, we've got company."

Herja looked to the shuttle, which landed about 30 yards away. It was a grey painted shuttle that looked identical to the Alliance Kodiak with a Shadow Broker symbol on the door. When the transport landed two Broker soldiers in black and white armor stepped out. Once they could see the area was clear they signaled the agent to exit the shuttle.

Herja watched as an asari stepped out. She was about the same height as Herja, had cyan skin, cerulean eyes, and wore an all white outfit. As she approached, Herja felt...fear? Confusion? Perhaps a bit of excitement? She didn't know what she felt, but she did know one thing: just exactly _who_ that asari was.

Allen asked her before the agent got too close, "Herja is...is that..."

The Eclipse officer nodded, "Yes. That's Liara T'Soni."

Liara walked up to Herja and Ryan with her two bodyguards close behind her. The Broker agent moved with purpose in every step she made and exuded a deadly confidence. Her face was unreadable, but she had that look in her eyes. The look you had only if you had been in battle. Only seen things most people wouldn't believe.

She walked up to Eclipse troops and extended her hand to Herja, "Dr. Liara T'Soni. I assume you are now in command here?"

Herja was in a slight state of shock. Here was a Goddess damned war hero talking to her. This asari had helped defeat Saren at the Citadel. She was rumored to have been to one to personally end her mother's life, thus giving her the fate she deserved for treason. Were the situation different Herja would be bowing to this heroine, but this wasn't the time. Even more so given just how and why they were meeting.

Herja simply couldn't believe that this hero could be working for the Broker. If any of what her mother had told her was true, she would simply not belong in the information business. The Liara that her mother often spoke so highly of was simply too kind and...not soft or weak but...timid for this line of work. Then again...Herja was sure that there were other things the public was simply not told that Liara knew and saw in recent days.

_There's something going on here. There has to be. Liara T'Soni would never work with someone like the Broker without a damn good reason._

The Eclipse officer took the Doctor's hand and firmly shook it. She said in a very polite tone, "Yes ma'am. I'm Lt. Herja Pruor, and may I say it is an honor to meet a member of Shepard's team."

Herja thought she saw for a moment a look of...confusion? No...gratitude-no, that wasn't the correct word either. In any event Herja thought she saw the doctor show emotion, but it was gone in an instant.

Liara merely nodded and turned to her two bodyguards, "Thank you gentlemen, I don't think I'll need you anymore."

One of them began to protest, but Liara reassured, "I'm sure I'm more than safe in the care of Lt. Pruor," she turned to face the other asari, "Isn't that correct?"

Herja nodded several times, "Of course ma'am. The colony is perfectly safe."

The two Shadow Broker troops went back to the shuttle and Liara asked the two Eclipse soldiers to show her the colony and explain to her what exactly happened. Herja lead Liara down the streets and told her of the battle they fought, Ryan following several feet behind the two.

The streets were empty of people, and the sky didn't have any vehicles in it. When Liara asked about this Herja explained that most of the electronic equipment not used by Eclipse or properly shielded was still out.

Liara took note of that, "I will be sure to see if I can get those replaced then." The doctor turned to her left to look at Herja. The Eclipse officer could see the Doctor was examining her, though for what purpose Herja couldn't say. All she knew was this wasn't how she thought Liara T'Soni would act. She pictured her as shy, timid, and a scholar, not a calculating agent for the most powerful information agency in the galaxy.

After a few moments of looking Herja over Liara asked, "Pruor...are by any chance related to a Hildra Pruor?"

Herja smiled, "That's my mother ma'am. She speaks very highly of you. I think you were one of her favorites."

Liara actually gave a small almost imperceptible smile, "Yes, and she was one of mine. She was one of the very few people I knew on Sanves who didn't judge me for who my parents are or actually treated me with respect. How is she?"

Herja answered, "She's doing very well actually. She still teaches at the university. You actually have a lot of supporters back home ma'am, my family included."

The doctor nodded, "I'm happy to hear Hildra is well... Do you think it would be...appropriate...to send her a message when our business is done here?"

"I think she would love to hear from you ma'am."

Liara nodded, "Why do you call me ma'am exactly? Most simply call me doctor if they call me anything."

Herja answered, "Like I said ma'am, you have a lot of support where I'm from. You're a hero as far as I'm concerned. What you did two years ago...well," Herja looked away and rubbed the back of her neck, "Sorry, I'm sure you get that a lot. Didn't mean to sound like some stupid fangirl."

Liara actually looked down a gave what Herja was sure was a sad smile, "Actually no. Most people pay me no mind at all. If I receive any treatment from others based on what I've done, it isn't very kind. Most of the Matriarchs don't think too highly of me you see, and I'm afraid they're probably not going to be very supportive when I need them."

Herja stopped, "With respect to whatever feelings you may still have to your mother ma'am, fuck the Matracy. Those useless lazy apathetic dumbass bitches have been keeping our people back for thousands of years. If it wasn't for them and their 'wisdom and counsel' the Destiny Ascension may not have been nearly destroyed! Maybe we might have a society that isn't viewed as the most promiscuous in the galaxy.

"Ma'am, I've seen our own people captured, beaten, raped, and killed by batarian pirates. There are dozens of colonies that have to worry about being attacked by pirates and raiders, and I'm sure you know how often they get attacked. If we actually had a military that did it's job instead of just floating around and doing nothing, maybe the asari that don't live in the protective little bubble of Council Space wouldn't have to live in fear."

Herja took a breath, "Sorry ma'am, didn't mean to go off like that but..."

Liara actually gave her a smile, "It's perfectly fine lieutenant. I take it you are an asari of action rather than caution?"

Herja answered, "You shouldn't rush into battle without the information you need ma'am, but indecision _is_ a decision. It has a cost far greater than action. I don't see a point sitting idly by while the whole goddess damned galaxy falls apart. It's why I'm out here ma'am. Eclipse may not be much more than drug dealers and gun runners, but I don't really consider myself to be Eclipse. I don't consider what's left of my company to be Eclipse. I may be a mercenary, but I consider myself to be a soldier too ma'am. Soldiers serve and protect, not sit on their asses and let people die."

Liara gave her a curious look, "So, you are not loyal to your employers?"

Herja shook her head, "There's a difference between turning traitor and leaving evil behind. I am loyal to those who deserve my loyalty. I didn't know what Eclipse does until I arrived at my first assignment. If I had, I would never have joined. Why should I be loyal to them? What do they do that is so noble? How could anybody look themselves into a mirror and be OK with being a member of groups like that?"

Liara pushed, "Don't soldiers in any army do horrible things at times? Should they turn their backs on their governments just because they see a few horrors?"

Herja clarified, "Humans have a saying, 'war is hell.' I know what that means now ma'am. Yes, I've seen things...terrible things. I almost did a few of them myself...but I didn't. Everyone knows the difference between right and wrong ma'am. In combat, you killor you are killed. There's a difference between a death at the hands of an enemy in battle and killing an unarmed man for fun like some Eclipse units out here might.

"I am a warrior ma'am. I'm prepared to kill, but only to serve a purpose. Those I've killed were threatening the safety of others. I think about the lives I have taken at times, but I don't really feel bad about ending their lives. That's not because they deserve it or I enjoyed it. It's because I ended the possibility of them ever harming another person again. If they had lived, who knows what they might have done.

"Yes, we see and may do things some may consider evil, but isn't that what war is in the first place? If you are not prepared to do such things for the sake of your people, then you should never put on a uniform in the first place ma'am. I am loyal to my superiors if they actually help the common good of the average person, not go around shooting people just to pass the time."

Liara looked thoughtful for a moment. After a few seconds she asked Herja, "And if you did have a superior who did have the best intentions of the people of the galaxy at heart, what then? Would you follow their orders, even if it meant your own death?"

Herja answered immediately, "Absolutely. All my life I've wanted to be a huntress ma'am. I've always dreamed of serving and protecting our people. If I die...well...it would probably do some pretty bad things to my mom. But I like to think she would be proud if I died serving my people. I don't know if I believe in honor and duty and other things you find on recruitment posters anymore ma'am, but I do know peace and freedom has a price. If I have to pay it then so be it."

Liara asked, "And your troops? Do they share the same philosophy as you do?"

The Eclipse officer replied, "I don't know. We are all where we are for a lot of different reasons. I became a mercenary to get an idea of what it's like to be a soldier. Some in the company joined because they needed a job. Some had no other real choice in their lives. Others joined maybe because they thought it might be fun."

Herja thought for a moment and asked, "If I may ask ma'am, why all these questions about me? Aren't you here to inspect the colony? Why am I so important?"

Liara stepped back a few inches and Herja saw her look behind her, doubtlessly looking to Ryan. Herja knew Liara was letting Allen know he may be needed. Herja knew Allen would fire if signaled...but not at Herja. She knew Allen loved her from the first time they were together. He would never harm her. If signaled...he would kill or at least attempt to kill Liara.

Herja knew for a fact Liara could kill them both if she wished. She was a veteran of numerous fights while she served with Shepard. Herja didn't blame Liara for taking precautions. As far as the Doctor knew, Herja was just another merc who may have been playing her the whole time. The Eclipse officer hoped Liara saw more in her than that. Not just because of who her mother was, but for who she was. Herja had been nothing but honest with Liara since she arrived here. She hoped, for everyone's sake, that Allen wouldn't fire. That Liara wouldn't give the order. That whatever Liara was about to say...it wouldn't necessitate bloodshed.

Liara eventually told Herja, "I didn't just come here to inspect the colony Lt. Pruor, I also came here to inspect those defending it. If you would hear me out, I have an offer for you and the remains of your unit. I think you will find the offer to your liking."

"Do I have a choice? Because if I do, then why are you about to signal Sgt. Ryan to shoot me?" Herja asked in a calm and polite tone.

_She has no idea who you really are Herja. Give her a reason to trust you._

Liara answered in an equally polite and reassuring tone, "It is just a precaution. You must understand, these meetings often do not end well for anyone. Some in your position may start to get very...shall I say territorial. Some officers do not like the idea of another addressing their troops. They may ask questions as to the nature of such a meeting. Some get very violent very quickly. You are not among those people, but I can't afford to make any exceptions.

"Also, yes. You do have a choice, though I strongly encourage you to hear out what it is I have to say. It would be beneficial to all those involved. Do you accept?"

Herja thought about the offer a second before nodding her head, "Alright ma'am. What exactly is it you would like?"

Liara folded her hands behind her back and straightened her body, "I would like to address your remaining soldiers. As I said I have an offer, but I would like to offer it to all your people at once, if you don't mind of course."

Herja smiled, "Sure ma'am. Our barracks isn't too far from here."

As Herja lead the trio to the school she told Liara, "I hope you don't think of me as just another thug in the Terminus ma'am. I've done my best to..."

Liara raised her hand and reassured her, "I know all about you lieutenant. Sgt. Ryan has only sent back positive reports of you and the things you have done. I have not heard or seen anything to contradict his assessment today. Also, please, do not concern yourself with the opinions of others. They mean absolutely nothing and will only drag you down if you take what others think of you to heart."

Herja smiled and relaxed. She was happy this heroine didn't judge her for being in the situation she was in. The Eclipse officer lead Liara down the street to the barracks.

* * *

Lt. Herja Pruor addressed her soldiers, "Listen up people, I assume you all know who this asari is behind me?"

The unit was assembled in the gym of the school. The 40 surviving members of Victor Company were sitting in the seats overlooking the basketball court. 30 were human and the rest were asari. None of the salarian troops survived. They were dressed in their yellow off duty uniforms and were giving the two asari on the floor their full attention. Blake did her best to look presentable, as did the asari, especially Kara who sat next to her human friend.

Herja continued, "The Doctor wishes to give us a little presentation. I expect you to listen! This hero has flown all the way across the galaxy just to see us, and you all will show her your full respect! Am I clear?"

The troops all nodded furiously and Liara stepped forward so Herja was behind her. She spoke loudly and clearly, "First, may I say congratulations on a job well done. You managed to fend off a Collector attack with only minor civilian casualties. Nobody, not even Commander Shepard, has ever managed that. You all are heros in your own right and I am honored to be in the same room as you."

The soldiers looked a bit surprised to hear Liara say that. The asari and Blake in particular seemed...moved. As if these words from this particular asari were undeserved. In any case, Liara continued to talk.

"That accomplishment is what has brought me here. I work for the Shadow Broker. I was sent here to see if your unit may be interested in some work the Broker would have lined up."

Herja walked around Liara so she was in front of her, "If I may interrupt ma'am, exactly what kind of work?"

Liara addressed the officer, "Like I said earlier lieutenant, the Broker has an offer for you."

The Doctor addressed the entire unit, "I will get right to it then: the Broker wants you. Not as contractors, but as soldiers. I am here to personally offer you all places in the Shadow Broker's private army."

Herja felt...she didn't know what she felt. Fear? Maybe. Excitement? Yes. Surprise? Absolutely. She looked to the rest of her unit and saw the exact same look on their faces as she was sure she had on hers.

Herja took a breath and asked, "Ma'am, if I may, why? Wouldn't we be just as useful as contractors? Also, why us? What makes us so special?"

Liara answered, "You defeated the Collectors on the battlefield. You did what no one else has done. That makes you unique. As to why in the Broker's Army itself, well that's simple: loyalty. The Broker needs soldiers he can depend on. If they have any other boss then him, that could lead to...issues as to who the soldiers answer to. If you report directly to the Broker, then there is no conflict of interest. What is your answer?"

Herja looked shocked at the question. Did she really just ask Herja that question? Did Herja really have to make this decision? Now?

The Eclipse officer asked timidly, "Can...Can I have a little bit to think about this ma'am?"

Liara nodded, "I can give you some time, but I need an answer before I leave."

Herja nodded, "Thank you ma'am. Are you hungry? The militia is eating now, I could have someone show you where the cafeteria is."

Liara responded, "I would appreciate that very much. Thank you."

Herja ordered, "Sgt. Ryan," the Eclipse Officer then noticed Blake and Kara looking...no pleading...to be given this assignment.

Herja nodded and ordered, "Take your squad and show the doctor where the food is. I'll let you know when I've made my decision."

Allen nodded and the three remaining soldiers in the squad lead Liara out of the gym. When they were gone Herja let out a long sigh. What was she going to do?

When she turned back to her troops one asari asked, "Well ma'am, what do we do?"

Herja smiled, "And here I thought I would be asking you that question." Her smile faded, "I honestly don't know what to do. What do you think?"

One female human asked, "Does it really matter what we think ma'am? It's your decision."

Herja sighed, "Yes it's my choice, but this affects every person in this room. We don't know what we're getting into here people. I need feedback. Tell me what you all want."

The asari medic from Herja's platoon said loudly, "I think we should do it."

"Why?"

The medic replied, "Well, that's Liara T'Soni asking us to join her ma'am. There are a lot of worse people we could work for."

Herja reminded them all, "We're not working for Liara, we would work for the Broker! He can be just as bad as Eclipse, and I have no intention of trading one bad boss for another."

A human male said, "We don't know exactly what our assignments would be ma'am. We may not have to carry out those kinds of missions. Besides, anybody who the Broker tries to have killed probably deserves it anyway. So does it really matter if we had to assassinate someone?"

Herja didn't know what to do. She didn't like how Eclipse operated, but now that she was in command of her own unit she could basically do as she pleased with the troops she had. Eclipse didn't do a very good job keeping discipline within the individual chapters of it's organization. Every unit was different, as were the people in it. Delaney had made sure those in his command were kept on the straight and narrow. Herja could do that now if she was in charge. If she went with the offer presented to her, what little control she had over her unit would vanish. The Broker probably would have a very tight leash on her and what would happen to all of them.

Herja looked back to her soldiers, "Will you all accept whatever decision I make?"

They all nodded. One human male stated, "Of course. You're the best officer I've ever served with ma'am. Whatever you decide, I'm with you."

"So am I," said the medic from second platoon.

"Me too," responded a female human.

Most of the unit did the same. Herja looked at them with pride. She was honored that she had such loyal soldiers of her own. She knew now what her answer would be. There wasn't really any other choice.

The asar officer yelled out, "Alright people, dismissed. I'll let you know when the Doctor's leaving so you can get a group picture with her or whatever."

Though Herja meant that mainly as a joke, all the asari and several of the humans seemed genuinely excited about that idea. Shaking her head, Herja went to the office Delaney had used as his. As she entered the room she felt...like an intruder. She had been the captain's choice to replace her but...she had taken over in a manner that didn't feel right to Herja. She almost expected Delaney's ghost to come out of the Abyss and yell at her for stepping into his office unannounced.

Taking a seat in the chair Herja let out a long sigh. She knew what she had to do, but it didn't make it any easier on her. She pulled up her omni-tool and sent Ryan a message telling him to send the Doctor to her new office. Herja sat back in her chair and waited for Liara's arrival.

_I just hope she'll understand._

* * *

Allen lead Liara and his last two surviving squadmates down the hallway towards the cafeteria. The sergeant was in the lead, followed by the agent, Allen's squadmates bringing up the rear. The cafeteria was a large open room, with windows looking out to the nearby city. The tables were round, allowing everyone a chance to talk with those around them more easily. When the Eclipse troops and Liara entered the large room, the militia was already seated and eating their food. Allen looked for a place for the Doctor to sit for a few seconds. Before he could find a spot however, the militia noticed their new guest.

As soon as the unit realized Liara T'Soni was in the room, everything stopped. It was as if the militia were characters on a vid screen and someone had hit the pause button. After a few seconds, they all stood and saluted the Doctor. The soldiers nearest the new arrival quickly cleared their table and immediately invited the doctor to sit down, some of them getting food for the Doctor to eat. The newly arrived soldiers reluctantly sat down and began to talk. Leslie sat on Liara's left while Kara sat on T'Soni's right. Allen sat across from the Broker agent.

Eventually, after a few awkward seconds, Blake started to stutter, "Ma'am um...If I could...I hope it's..."

Liara asked, "Is something the matter Ms. Blake?"

The Eclipse soldier composed herself and finally said to the Doctor, "I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for what you did. You saved my life. You saved my son's life. I was on the Citadel when _Sovereign_ attacked the station. My husband died there that day. If it hadn't been for what you and the others in Shepard's team did, we would all be dead. I want you to know that if you ever needed anything, anything at all, you just need to ask."

The former teacher shrank in her seat a little, "Sorry if that seemed odd or annoying to you. I just wanted to take the chance to say that to one of my actual saviors while I still had the chance."

Liara nodded, "Thank you Ms. Blake. I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I assure you if there was anything I or any of the others could have done, we would have."

Blake nodded, "I know Ms.T'Soni. And don't be sorry, you didn't cause what happened. Just know you and Shepard will always have at least one supporter in this galaxy."

Liara seemed to genuinely smile at that, "That is...that is very... I don't know how to respond. Most don't treat me or any of the others from the _Normandy_ with this kind of respect. It is very good to know our efforts are not for nothing."

Kara spoke up, "Nothing?! Ma'am...do you know who you are back home? Every maiden on Sanves wants to be you! Every single one. All the matrons wish they had the success you have. You went from an unemployed maiden with no parents to becoming one of the richest information brokers in the galaxy! The Matriarchs are all afraid of you! You, a maiden barely 100 years old whose," Kara grew silent and searched for the right words to say.

Eventually she said, "Forgive me if this is personal ma'am, but who or rather _what_ your parents were already put a bad taste in those useless old hags. Add that to all you did in the last two or three years? You are the paragon of what all asari should aspire to be. I...could I get a picture of myself with you? Just to prove to my family I actually met you? If not then..."

Liara looked as if Kara had just turned green, but she agreed to the request. Allen took a picture of the two asari sitting side by side, both smiling and hands folded neatly at the table in front of them. When that was done Allen sent it to Kara. She looked at it with a proud smile on her face.

The younger asari faced Liara, "Thank you so much. It means a lot to me that you would come out here to see us."

Liara stated evenly, "Of course I would. The Broker needs more soldiers if we are to face what is to come. You are some of the best there is."

Kara and Leslie smiled and sat just a little bit taller at that statement. Liara then turned to Ryan and said, "Well? Will you sing my praises as well agent?"

Ryan smiled and shook his head, "Sorry. Not me. I know what you really are."

Liara frowned, "And just what exactly is that?"

Allen answered, "You're just like us. You're not some other worldly hero, you are just a person who fate has put into some extraordinary places. Don't get me wrong, you're a hero, and I support you and the rest of the Normandy Six as much as the next guy, but I'm not going to act like a school girl meeting her crush around you."

Liara looked confused, "I'm sorry, but what do you mean 'Normandy Six'?"

Allen clarified, "It's what the people out here call you and the rest of Shepard's team from the Normandy. You all did some pretty amazing things. If the stories I've heard are even half true, then your accomplishments demand respect. That is why I support you and Shepard. You fight, and you win. You fight the battles that need to be fought but nobody cares enough to do. There are a lot of very bad people that are dead right now because of what you and Shepard did.

"I very much appreciate your efforts in making this galaxy a better place, futile as they may be. Kara here supports you because she sees you as a role model. Leslie has, in my opinion, an actual excuse for her behavior here today because you actually directly saved her life."

Ignoring the somewhat annoyed looks from the others at the table, Ryan continued, "I have no reason to support you or Shepard other than because I want to, but I do want to. I grew up on Omega. Nothing Shepard or any of her team did has ever helped me directly as far as I know. If it has, then if I ever meet her I'll thank her in a dignified way and let us both move on with our lives."

Liara asked, "And the people out in the Terminus? What exactly is their opinion of Shepard?"

Ryan smiled and pointed to a nearby table, "Look over there. See those men? What exactly do you think they're doing right now Doctor?"

Liara turned her attention to a nearby table where several militia were eating. The troops were staring at her and talking to themselves as she looked over to them. As soon as they saw her gaze they turned right back around to their food.

Liara faced Ryan again, "Probably talking about how I'm not to be trusted. I'm here as a Broker agent, not a member of Shepard's team. I've seen those looks before, when I first came aboard Shepard's ship. It took a long time for most of her crew to trust me."

Allen smiled, "Wrong Doctor. They're probably making up stories about you. Shepard and her crew have their strongest support out here. Every night at dinner all you hear the militia talk about is some new story about how Shepard either... I don't know...killed some giant Thresher Maw, or blew up a geth space station, or how she can heal the sick with a wave of her hand. Outlandish tales to be sure, but some of them are in the realm of possibility, even if they are not very likely."

Liara had by now seemingly dropped her agent persona and seemed to be genuinely opening up to those at the table, "Yes, some of what we have done does not seem possible, but I assure you, knowing her, most of those stories are probably more fact than fiction. It may be that the made up stories you all hear are actually more realistic than what she actually does. Also, we did kill several Thresher Maws together during our hunt for Saren actually. Urdnot Wrex even gathered several teeth from one and distributed it to our squad as trophies."

Liara turned back to the militia, "I had no idea we were so popular here."

Ryan explained, "Shepard is popular in the Terminus for two reasons: One, like I said, she wins. Everybody loves a winner. No matter who or what you are, even if someone hates you, they will always respect you if you win. She's survived battles that would have killed anybody else without a scratch on her if what I've heard is true. Second: she's fighting the Collectors. She may be doing it with people I'm not too fond of, but she's still fighting. The fact that she's doing anything to help the people out here at all shows that at least _she_ cares about the average person out here."

Liara nodded and smiled, "I am glad her efforts are truly making a difference. If she were here, I know she would be humbled. Would you like me to share something with the soldiers here?"

Allen asked, "Sure, but what are you 'sharing' exactly?"

Liara just smiled and stood up, "Something they deserve to know." She breathed in and spoke loudly and clearly, "Your attention please." Everyone in the room fell silent.

The Doctor spoke again, "I am informed by Sgt. Ryan that you all support Shepard due to her efforts against the Collectors. Do you still fear this enemy?"

They all nodded and the asari revealed, "Then you need not fear them anymore. 12 hours ago, I received a message from the Commander: The Collectors are no longer a threat. Shepard, along with a handpicked team of specialists, infiltrated the Collector's main base of operations and destroyed it."

The militia cheered at the news. Had it been anybody else, they would simply not have believed it. But an actual member of Shepard's team? She could tell them anything and they would believe her.

One of the militia asked about how the mission went. Liara answered, slightly saddened, "I regret to say I did not go on this mission. Shepard specifically ordered me to stay behind and focus my talents on...other matters. Matters just as important to the safety of the galaxy I assure you, but I did not fight the Collectors. However, she did say that all members of the crew she had with her survived the battle, and not a single member of her squad was killed or wounded."

Some member of the militia continued to celebrate news that their fears could be put to rest. Others started to make up stories about what may have happened in a battle between Shepard and an army of Collectors. Liara then sat down at the table she had just occupied.

Blake asked in disbelief, "No losses? How could anyone, even Shepard, go up against a force like the Collectors and not take any casualties?"

Liara answered, "I like to think it is a mixture of her own skill, the loyalty of the ones around her, and the will of the Goddess. I don't know how she does what she does, but Shepard is capable of doing impossible things simply because she tries."

Allen commented, "She truly is an amazing woman." At that moment, his omni-tool beeped. He read the message that was sent to him. Ryan told the doctor That Herja was ready to give Liara her answer.

Liara nodded, thanked the militia for their support, and followed Ryan down the hall.

* * *

Herja stood at her desk as soon as Liara entered the room. The Eclipse officer nodded to Ryan, who then left the office. Herja and Liara both sat down and went straight to business. Liara asked if Herja had made her decision yet.

Herja replied, "Yes ma'am, I have." Looking Liara in the eye and not hiding how sorry she was a letting down her hero Lt. Pruor said, "I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't think I can help your boss."

Liara asked, "Why not? The Broker can get you the best equipment and personnel money can buy. I can promise you you will get people who know how to do their job and are loyal. Your weapons would be exp-"

Herja found the courage to interrupt Liara by raising her hand, "It's not about the things the Broker has to offer ma'am, it's what he does. I don't think the Shadow Broker would be any better a boss then Eclipse."

Liara questioned with no malice or resentment in her voice, "Is Eclipse suddenly the paragon of what a mercenary army should be then? Are they now so noble and worthy of this new found respect you have for them?"

Herja stated, "Of course not ma'am, but the Broker as far as I can tell is just like them. You can't tell me the Broker wouldn't assassinate someone if it was in his interest, or that the Broker wouldn't kidnap some high ranking member of a species government for the right reason. The Shadow Broker accepts payment in all kinds of varieties. I am sure he has storehouses filled with Red Sand and stolen items of every kind.

"These are the same things Eclipse does ma'am. If I command my own soldiers, I can at least stop them from doing them. I can help the people out here and not have to worry about my boss attempting to reign me in because he doesn't like the way I'm acting. If I command my own unit, then I can make sure those under me will be looked after properly. I don't doubt the Broker pays well, but high pay often means high danger. How many people does the Broker always loose on missions? I protect my people ma'am. Eclipse and the Broker don't."

Herja took a deep breath. After composing herself she looked Liara in the eye and said, "With all these things in mind, I hope you will understand why I am choosing to remain independent. Please understand, I trust that you would do whatever you could to help us, but I don't trust the Broker to care about us. To him we're just assets to be expended, not people who have lives and families. I'll die for the right person or reason ma'am, but not the Broker."

Liara, for her part, took all that in instride. She looked down at her feet. The Broker agent was very quiet for a long time before she finally looked up. The cold and emotionless look was gone, replaced by what Herja was sure was the real Liara T'Soni.

Her eyes looked tired, as if she had not slept in days. She seemed sad and tense, as if she was dealing with a great loss or was greatly conflicted by something. Her posture, once rigid and confident, was now more slouched and relaxed, as if an entire layer of her had been lifted off of her. Liara seemed to think for a few moments before she spoke again.

"It...it is hard to disagree with what you just said. In fact, I don't think any of what you just said is inaccurate. The Broker does have a...very strong tendency to forget the people he uses are just that: people. That the lives he hurts and destroys are real and that the suffering he causes is real. Often the Broker works to achieve goals few others can comprehend and that requires a certain...distance to be maintained. Yes, people die. At times this is necessary, others...I have often wondered how much some of the operations I have been a part of were really helping anything or anybody."

Herja asked sympathetically, "Then why don't you leave? Or, can you even leave?"

Liara looked at the floor, "That is...complicated to, yes I could leave my current position, but there would be consequences. The enemies the Broker has would eventually find out what it is I do and come after me for what I know about the Broker's Network. If I left, then Shepard would lose access to that Network. We need all the support we can get if we are to win in what is coming.

"So, to answer your question no. I simply can't leave my current position, much as I may like to on occasion."

Herja was sorry Liara was in this type of position, but was also happy at the same time she was only doing it to help Shepard.

_Now it all makes sense. With access to the best intelligence network in the Galaxy, there's no telling what Shepard could do._

Liara looked up again at Herja. She looked at her again as if she was examining her, not unlike how she did before.

Eventually Liara asked, "If you did have control over your forces, if you could manage them how you saw fit, would you reconsider? Would you at least give it some thought?"

Herja sighed a bit, "What do you mean ma'am? I've told you I won't work for the Broker. I'm not like you; I can't just accept the horrible and amoral things that go along with this line of work and not do something about it. I can't just sell my soul to some anonymous voice like others can."

Liara countered, "And if you didn't work for the Broker? If you answered to someone else, say...me? Would you leave Eclipse then? Would you take this deal I have for you?"

Herja asked in disbelief, "What do you mean work for you ma'am? I...I don't get what you just asked."

Liara clarified, "I have a...considerable amount of pull in the Broker's organization. I could arrange to have a new firm set up. A 'proactive security company' if you will. As with the previous arrangement, you would get only the best people and equipment, but you would command it. You could manage it however you wanted. No one would interfere."

Herja stated, "I doubt the Broker would let a large portion of his soldiers run around the galaxy doing as they pleased ma'am."

Liara nodded, "True. Someone would have to make sure you are protecting the Brokers interests. That someone would be me. I would be sort of a...what do the humans call them? Handlers? In any case, I would keep track of you and your soldiers. I would also give you the missions you are sent on. I can't promise you won't have to become assassins, but I can promise that you would only be sent on missions of the highest importance. Missions that would be a large benefit to the Galaxy. What do you say to that offer Herja?"

Liara sat up. Her eyes were open and honest. This wasn't some agent working for her employer, this was the real Liara asking for Herja to at least think about the offer.

Herja sat in her chair and thought about the offer...for a few seconds. She then smiled and extended her hand to Liara, "I think that was the best job offer in the galaxy Liara. I would be honored to work for you."

Liara stood and shook Herja's hand, "Excellent. I'll get in touch with the Broker and put this together immediately. You have no idea how much you have helped me."

Herja smiled, "No Liara, you have helped us. Back when all this started I desperately wanted a way out of this group of killers I'm in right now. You've given me and the others in my unit that today. Now if you don't mind, there's just one more thing I'll ask of you, then you can be on your way."

* * *

**Sanves, Athena Nebula.**

Hildra Pruor sat at a desk in her room in front of a terminal dressed in a blue robe, her bondmate on the other end of the call. Jursk was in his black battle armor, and several bodies could be seen behind him. Most of them were turian with a few salarians. There were many bullet holes in the wall behind the krogan, as well as a small fire. He was calling from the base of his latest bounty.

Hildra asked, "Have you been having much luck finding your target?"

The krogan answered, "No. The salarian bastard is almost half as smart as he thinks he is. He's lead me on a pyjak hunt across the whole system. When I find him I'll rip him apart from his horns!"

Hildra frowned, "Did the contract not say 'alive if possible'?"

Jursk shook his head, "Who's going to tell the client otherwise? Besides, it's not like he doesn't deserve to die a slow and horrible death anyway."

Herja nodded, "I know love, but I just wanted to make sure you know-"

Jursk yelled back, "Don't tell me how to do my job! I don't tell you how to whip those stupid little girls you have into shape, do I?"

Hildra responded, "I'm just reminding you that we might not get all the money we are expecting if you don't do your job."

Jursk growled, "Women. Always worried about the money. Wasn't me who bought a new sky car last month was it?"

Hildra smiled, "And who bought the latest model of the Claymore even though the mark IV is still perfectly effective?"

Jursk growled again but said, "I'm leaving. See if I can find that bastard at the next base of his I hit."

Hildra smiled at her bondmate, "Be careful Jursk. I love you."

"Yeah yeah. Be back when I get back."

Hildra watched the screen go dark. School had ended the week prior and she found herself with her annual problem: what to do when you're out of a job. It's not like she needed to take care of any children anymore. Herja was out of the house, Rota was responsible enough to look after herself, and she and Jursk were going to wait at least a few more years before having another.

Hildra was not the type of asari to enjoy cleaning everyday, and the house was clean enough to get by for a while with just two asari living there anyway. She would probably not be able to find a part time job with the galactic economy still in a tailspin after the attack on the Citadel two years prior. It was fairly early in the morning for this part of the planet, so Hildra was about to head back to bed when she saw a green light flash at her console.

Hitting the button, Hildra's face lit up when she saw who was on the other end. The Matron screamed out, "Herja! Goddess damnit why haven't you been calling?"

Herja sighed and shook her head, "Mom, it's only been 5 days since my last call."

The elder asari retorted, "Of the three of you, the _human_ is the one who calls the most! Allen calls me almost every day, did you know that! Your daughter even calls me more than you. Was I such a terrible mother that you can't even be bothered-"

"We were just attacked," Herja interrupted.

Hildra went silent and paled a bit, "Attacked? When? By who?"

Herja breathed in and closed her eyes, "The Collectors. This was...a few days ago."

Hildra was silent for a few seconds. Eventually, after a few tries she asked in a surprisingly quiet voice, "How bad was this?"

"Most of the company, including about half my platoon, is dead. Most of the militia we were training didn't make it also. I...I've been busy getting things organized here. I had Allen and Kara call like they usually do to keep up appearances. I'm sorry for the deception, but you need to understand just what happened mom."

Herja then told her mother all that had happened. From the power outage to the final battle with the Collectors. The younger asari also told her about the Broker agent that was inspecting the colony. The only detail from the last few days she left out was her...moment...with Allen. Herja was sure her mom would respect her decision, but it was something that should only be discussed in person.

Hildra chuckled slightly to herself, "A Broker agent inspecting your handiwork. What a daughter I have. So, will you be working for the Broker now?"

Herja asked with a surprised look on her face, "You would really be OK with that mom?"

Hildra answered in a reassuring tone, "Yes, I would. Despite the nature of his work, the Broker is not really evil. He may not be good either, but that is beside the point. The point is, he provides a service the galaxy needs to function as it does. Those who work for him are just as hard working and honest and lazy and stupid as anyone else. That is why agents like Barla Von are tolerated. That is why every single government in the galaxy has ties with the Broker. He is necessary in the galaxy we live in and I would rather you work for someone who has a reputation as at least dependable then work for some band out in the Terminus."

Herja looked surprised at this, "Mom...the Broker...the Broker does some pretty bad things."

Hildra countered, "And our government doesn't? Doesn't every government have secrets and evil things done in the name of protecting their people?"

Herja breathed out again, "And here I thought I would have to convince you I'm doing the right thing with what I decided."

"So you took the job offer then?"

Herja smiled, "I think it's best I let the agent explain things mom." Herja left the seat she was in and was replaced by another asari. Hildra almost jumped out of her skin when she saw just who it was now before her.

"Liara!?"

Liara smiled and looked a bit uncomfortable as she said, "It is good to see you too Hildra. How have you been?"

Hildra nodded, still in shock, "Life has been treating me very well. Rota graduated the second tier and I see you have finally met Herja. If I may, how did an archaeologist become an agent for the Shadow Broker? When I last saw you, you couldn't wait to begin digging in the dirt to find ancient alien ruins, now you help manage the decisions of the major leaders of the galaxy?"

Liara smiled, "I'm glad you didn't ask me about my time spent with Shepard. That would have been harder to answer. Suffice it to say my life has taken an unexpected turn recently. The reason I'm in my new job is because I believe I can truly help the galaxy and Shepard from where I am. That brings me to why...well, part of the reason why I'm speaking to you now.

"I'll not waste time. You're daughter is working for me now."

Hildra looked as if she was about to have a heart attack. Her first born daughter, the one person she worried about more than any other, was now working for the most gifted student she had ever taught. Liara T'Soni, Hero of the Citadel, was now a Broker agent. What cruel plans did the Goddess have in store for Hildra and her family?

The retired soldier swallowed and asked, "My daughter is working for you? How did...what is going on Liara? I...I never thought..."

Liara nodded, "I know. If anyone had told me 3 years ago where I would be today, I would not have believed them. Let me start out by saying that although Herja and her people would technically be soldiers for the Broker, they would report directly to me. I will ensure they are sent on mission that are critical to the peace and continued prosperity of the galaxy at large. I will take the utmost care of them all. I assure you Hildra, I will make sure your daughter comes home to you again."

Hildra nodded, "That is very reassuring Liara. But, how and why did you become an agent? And what about Shepard?"

Liara let out a small sigh, "It may be best to leave out the details as to just how I became an agent. I am here because this is where Shepard feels I can be most useful to her. I assure you if she asked me to drop all that I had right now and join her tomorrow, I would."

Hildra nodded in understanding, "And you promise to protect my daughter?"

Liara said with a determined look on her face, "I promise I will do everything in my power to ensure she lives to a ripe old age."

The biotics teacher breathed out, "Good. I believe you Liara. I know you; you keep your word. I am glad to see the events of the last few years have not destroyed the shy little scholar I knew all those years ago."

Liara blushed a bit, "While I may not be the same person I was back then, it is nice to hear I have not completely corrupted by recent events. Regardless, it is good to see you again Hildra."

The asari matron nodded, "And you as well Liara. Please, call me anytime. I would like to keep in touch with at least _one_ of my former students."

Liara smiled, "I promise I will Hildra. The calls may be few and far between, but they will happen. It will be good to have a person to turn to again for guidance."

With that, Liara left the seat and Herja returned.

"So, what do you think of my new boss?"

Hildra smiled, "I think you're the luckiest person in the galaxy. Working for Liara T'Soni. No doubt going to be sent on missions essential to the stability of the Galaxy. About to have untold adventures. Part of me wishes I was there with you. Still, you take care of yourself Herja. I want you home again soon, do you hear me?"

Herja nodded, "I'll be home again in a few weeks mom. Things are about done here anyway. I'll see you then. I love you."

Hildra smiled, "I love you too," she disconnected the call.

Was she still worried about Herja and the others? Absolutely. Was she concerned about their futures? Yes, but not as much as before. Hildra knew Liara, she would keep her word in keeping Herja and her people as safe as possible given their job. Any danger she would be put in Hildra knew would be absolutely necessary. Whatever it was Herja would be doing soon, it would have a purpose to it.

Hildra went to her bed and laid down for a nap. She fell asleep, for the first time in a long time, thinking that her family would be just fine.

A/N: Sorry if this chapter isn't up to snuff, but it was hard to write for some reason.

If the whole hero worship thing puts people off, ask yourself this: where were Shepard's supporters? All through the course of the series we are told Shepard is a hero, but do we see any support on the part of anybody? Not in my opinion. Shepard probably isn't popular with everyone, but I would think he/she would have some kind of support base somewhere to make things easier. This never materializes.

Not once did we get any real help from the people in the galaxy. Nowhere did I see any indication that Shepard had the support of any of the people he/she tries to help. Seriously, did we get any recognition for what we as players did? Even high ranking Alliance officials Like Hacket or Anderson seem only able or willing to 'keep the Council/Alliance off our backs.' The fact that Shepard is a spectre should get rid of the Alliance entirely, and don't get me started on the Council.

Long story short, for the purpose of this story, Shepard has A LOT of support in the Terminus and Traverse because the people there benefit the most from his/her efforts.

The epilogue to this story is not really nessicary to read. In fact, I like the ending to this chapter more. The next and final chapter is very brief and only really serves to show where any sequal I may write to this story may go.


	17. Chapter 17

Epilogue

**Tuchankan orbit, Optimal Outcomes Cruiser _Delaney. _2186**

Major Herja Pruor walked into the briefing room with her head held high and a stern, emotionless look on her face. As she walked down the rows of seats she could feel the soldiers looking at her, waiting for her to explain the situation. As the commander of the newly formed Private Military Company finally reached the front of the room a hologram of the planet below came on.

Herja turned and looked to her soldiers, the hologram on her left. There were over 300 soldiers in the room, most of them human or asari with a few salarians in the mix. They wore the black and white camouflage uniforms of the Shadow Broker. The armor was top of the line, with a built-in cloaking device and instant medical treatment for injuries. These suit were not the full body armor suits Eclipse or the Alliance had however, these were different. Instead of a metal suit covering their entire body, these uniforms had armor plates on the torso, the knee and shins, and the ankles and elbows. The rest of the body was covered only by a what amounted to the 'under armor' Eclipse troops had. This was not as flimsy or unreliable though. This mesh could easily deflect shrapnel and any other debris other than a direct hit from a rifle. The helmet was also different. Now they had a visor in front of their faces instead of just two eye holes. This allowed a greater amount of sight during battle. Herja, though she had at first been hesitant to use these new uniforms, trusted in the Doctor's words and soon grew to like these new uniforms.

Liara had made good on her word. Soon after Liara left Arcadia, she had set up a new security firm called 'Optimal Outcomes.' This company was just one of many businesses that the Broker owned and controlled. Other firms in the Network handled the supply, HR, and finance aspects of the business; all Herja and her people had to do was fight.

All the soldiers in the room were veteran soldiers. All had no criminal records, and were absolutely loyal to the Doctor and whatever mission she sent them on. Herja was proud to be in charge of such a fine group of soldiers.

The troops all had their helmets in front of them, their eyes focused solely on Herja.

The asari began, "This is going to be a long day people, so we best get started." She pressed a few buttons on her omni-tool and three green dots appeared on the holographic display.

Herja briefed, "The Doctor says that Shepard plans to cure the Genophage, but to do that, we need to make sure the planet is free of Reaper and Cerberus troops and make sure it's safe for allied ships to approach the planet." Herja pointed to one dot, "Cerberus has somehow got an ancient space defense cannon operational. I'll take Lima Team and secure the area. Once it's safe to land, I'll contact you and you can begin your assignments."

She looked to Allen, who was in the front row on her right, "Captain Ryan."

The human sat up straighter, "Ma'am?"

"Take Victor Company to these coördinates," Herja pointed to another dot on another part on the planet. "The Doctor says that a turian ship crashed there. The reason for the crash and mission is unknown. T'Soni says she and Shepard will be moving in shortly to assist any survivors. Orders are to move in and help the turians in any way possible."

Herja turned to her left, "Captain Blake."

The blond human woman looked at Herja with a determined look, "Yes ma'am?"

Herja pointed to another dot on the hologram, "The Doctor said that Cerberus forces have been sighted in the Kelphic Valley. You and Oscar Company are to recon the area and find out just what is going on. Do not, I repeat do not engage unless first attacked. We need to know what exactly it is we are going up against before we do anything stupid. Questions?"

Not one hand was raised. Herja grinned, "Good. Lets get to work."

* * *

The shuttle bay of the ship was a hub of activity. Soldiers ran to and fro getting their weapons and ammo. The pilots were prepping their shuttles to take the troops planet side. Soldiers checking their equipment over and over again. Herja was with Lima Team, a platoon that amounted to what most mercenaries would call a 'personal guard.' Herja took this group, about 40 in total, on missions that needed a small number of troops or ones that needed her utmost attention. They were mostly the survivors of her original company back on Arcadia. She knew all of them, and she knew how to work with them.

Once she was sure all her troops were in the best shape they could be, she sent them to their ship and told them to wait for her. Once they were out of visual range, she looked around the bay for a few select people. When she found her targets, she smiled and walked right to them.

Ryan and Blake both had their helmets off and were talking with Kara when Herja arrived. Kara looked and saw her mom approaching. She waved and asked, "So mom, this really just another recon mission? I'm getting tired of just sitting on my as all day just watching shit happen."

Herja ordered, "Lt. S'Vipul, you _will _follow your orders. You are not to engage the enemy under any circumstances, and at the first sign of trouble you are to get your ass someplace safe and wait for extraction. Are we clear?"

Kara nodded, "Yeah. Don't get shot. Don't fight. Bug out at the first possible sign of danger. That about it mom?"

Herja smiled and nodded, "Good girl. Now get your platoon organized and make sure they know what to do."

Kara nodded, gave her company commander a smile and a nod, and headed off into the mess of soldiers nearby.

Herja turned to Blake, "Leslie, I'm counting on you. I need you to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid like on the Citadel. OK?"

Leslie smiled, "Don't worry Herja, your daughter's safe with me. I'll watch her like she was my own. I promise She won't even have a scratch on her when we get back. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to get my own people organized." With that, CPT. Leslie Blake left the area.

Ryan turned to Herja, "You really think Leslie can keep Kara safe better than me?"

Herja grinned back, "Well, her company doesn't take as many casualties as yours does. Also, I seem to remember a raid you two went on where Kara came back-"

Ryan put his hand to his face, "That was one time! We were ambushed! How many times-"

Herja put her hand on his shoulder, "I was kidding Allen. I realize that now. I just think Leslie will be a better CO for my daughter then you. It's nothing personal. Besides, the two seem to work very well together."

Allen nodded, "Well, at least you have a point there. Anyway, I need to get to work too. You just be careful down there, OK?"

Herja nodded and pulled Allen close to her. The two shared a brief kiss before Allen left her. Alone now, Herja took a deep breath.

_It's time. Let's send those dogs into the Abyss!_

The asari officer turned and went to the shuttle her team was in. Unlike the shuttles the Alliance and Cerberus used, this one could hold an entire platoon at once. It was long enough for 20 soldiers to sit on either side on the interior. There were engines on the sides of the craft and gun turrets just in front of them. Allen had told her it looked very similar to human military craft used many centuries earlier. Something called an 'Osprey'? In any case, they had advanced stealth systems built into the armor allowing it to deploy troops anywhere on any battlefield.

Herja stepped on to the craft and looked at her troops. They looked to her with their helmets off. All looked ready to fight. All nodded to her as she passed them on the way to the cockpit. She returned the gestures as she walked up behind the pilot.

"We're good to go. Let's get this done."

The female blond human nodded and began to activate the craft. Herja took a seat next to an asari. Herja sent a prayer to the Goddess as she felt the shuttle take off, and descend planetword.

* * *

A/N: Well, that is it for this story. I hope all who have read my work were at least entertained. I really liked writing this story, difficult as it was at times. Thank you SO much to all who read/favorited/reviewed. Thanks to all the authors who helped me with writing this, especialy you HugoCogs. Without you, this story wouldn't be half as good as it is.

I leave for the military soon, so I'll be gone for some time. Reguardless, I hope one day to write a sequal to this tale, and hopefully many more stories. Until next time, may the force be with you all!

RED


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